This is me and Grandpa in March of '78... was barely a year and a half old, but I knew I wanted that present he was opening... it was his birthday... My Grandfather was a very dear man. He died when I was only 12 years old, a 7th grader in Junior High who could have used many more years with him in my life. For some reason, I like psychic stuff. I used to … (19 comments)
austin tx real estate agent: Interest Rates are Down - Time for Buying a House is Now
- 10/11/11 04:20 AM
The time to buy a house in the Austin TX area is NOW! Why? Because rates are down and prices are stable. Austin TX has the second lowest unemployment rate in the country, right behind Washington DC. I've talked with several mortgage people and they have all mentioned that they're getting a lot of refinance deals. I turn that around and ask them if they ever ask their customer if they had thought about up-sizing their house while keeping the same mortgage payment? Most stop and go hmmmm, as they've never thought to ask that. Say a home owner has a … (8 comments)
austin tx real estate agent: Printing on the Go - How Google Cloud and Kodak Could Have Made Things Easier
- 10/06/11 02:00 PM
Have you heard of this new technology called Google Cloud Printing? Have you heard of this new technology called Kodak Email Print? It's supposed to make our lives a lot easier when out and about. Google Cloud Printing connects your printer to the web. You can use these printers from anywhere, and allow others access to use them too. Kodak Email Print is a FREE service that will assign an email address to your printer so you can just email something to the printer and viola, it prints. How can these things make our lives easier? Here's a good example... A … (12 comments)
austin tx real estate agent: Feeling Embarrassed from My Quote in an Inman News Article
- 10/01/11 09:16 AM
I'm laughing so hard right now... I'm also so very extremely embarrassed right now...Inman News interviewed me for an article about Austin that just came out: Austin market defied U.S. economic drought, but faces real one, by Mary Umberger.She did a good job of writing the story and then did a Q&A section with me and a handful of other agents. It was interesting to see the vast aray of perceptions agents working across the area have. I'm glad I kept saying "in my area" and specifying where as others gave other information, like high foreclosure amounts, representing their areas.So, why … (23 comments)
austin tx real estate agent: ActiveRain - 1Million Point Club Milestone
- 09/25/11 10:54 AM
ActiveRain has been a huge part of my business and life for the past 5 years. Over the weekend, I hit a huge milestone. I became the 18th person to hit 1,000,000 points. I should have hit a million several months ago, but being pregnant last year, and then having the baby this year, I slacked in my blogging, but excuses aside, I came back at full steam last month.
It's often asked what ActiveRain points mean, and you'll receive several different responses. Russell Ray recently posted what points meant to him, and he did a break down, and I … (193 comments)
austin tx real estate agent: She's Growing Up Too Fast - STOP!!
- 09/21/11 09:23 AM
How do you get kids to eat things they don't want to, and is it bad to stop them from learning how to spell? My daughter, Alyssa, is "three and three quarters" as she says. Taking after me, she doesn't want to eat anything that isn't pasta. I love pasta and would live off pasta, so I understand, but she's a kid and needs proteins and other nutrients. Last night, I actually tried to give her a choice. I know, giving a 3 year old a choice isn't the best move, but I figured she would eat it if she picked. … (22 comments)
austin tx real estate agent: ActiveRain Meetup in Austin - Networking at Its Best
- 09/14/11 10:39 AM
Today was the ActiveRain meetup at Jack Allen's. It was a lot of fun. It was a very intimate group of people, so we each got to talk with everyone there and get to know each other better. Of course, the largest topic of discussion was "What does your Brokerage have to offer" and people were taking mental notes. Many people who said they were coming, did NOT show up and that was disappointing. We were tweeting and calling people wondering where they were. In all, there were 5 Austin people, 2 Dallas people, and 3 San Antonio people, in addition … (16 comments)
austin tx real estate agent: Lake Pointe - Bee Cave Austin TX - Market Report September 2011 - 53% Sales Increase!
- 09/02/11 03:06 AM
Lake Pointe Bee Cave Austin TX had a fabulous Summer with 29 home sales from June 1 - August 31, 2011! That's a huge increase over Lake Pointe homes sold in the same time period in 2010 of 19. 53% more homes were sold, to be exact! Can you say, "WOW!" This is just another reason why real estate is LOCAL and NOT National! Over and over again, we hear on the National news that real estate is not doing very well, but here we are in one of the top areas in the country with a 53% sales increase over … (2 comments)
austin tx real estate agent: Real Estate Recovery- Austin TX - Three Homes Sold in Three Days!
- 08/09/11 06:02 AM
Real Estate Recovery- Austin TX - Selling houses right and left. Last week, I contracted three houses in three days! They are in South Austin, Steiner Ranch, and Round Rock. Yes, I was busy busy! Just because the houses are under contract, it doesn't mean my job is done. I had to coordinate inspections for all three houses, two were vacant so those were easier. One of them, the sellers have 5 kids and they also had company in from out of town. That's a lot of people to get out of a house for the buyer's inspection, but it was … (5 comments)
austin tx real estate agent: Broker Looking to Hire a Not-So-Smart Agent
- 08/08/11 03:30 AM
I got a very interesting email this weekend from a Broker. He tells me he's looking to hire a REALTOR® to help him write articles and "area related content" for his website. Yes, he's actually sending emails out to local agents asking them to write content for his site to help build his business! The audacity! Some of the criteria? This person needs a "deep knowledge" of Austin, a writing background, a car, a camera, and "education preferably". How much education? A 5th grade education? A high school diploma? A Masters? Or maybe a PhD? And if you have so much … (20 comments)
austin tx real estate agent: Real Estate Recovery - Austin TX - Economy Out Performs the Nation!
- 08/06/11 01:20 PM
Real Estate Recovery - Austin TX Economy Keeps Out performing the Nation as a Whole! I'm not too worried that the market lost 500 points a couple of days ago, because up against the worst national economy in decades, Austin TX is the best market in the country! Why? Several reasons... The Austin TX foreclosure market is 1 in 1044 homes. Las Vegas? 1 in 60 homes... for all those buyers out there wanting to buy a foreclosure in Austin TX because they think it's going to be the best deal, think again... According to Mark Sprague, Mission Mortgages' … (10 comments)
austin tx real estate agent: Real Estate Q&A Forums - Take them with a Grain of Salt
- 08/05/11 07:34 AM
Buying a home and Selling a house can be a little stressful. One of the biggest steps in both of these processes is finding an agent to help you through everything and answer all your questions and make you feel comfortable about your concerns. There are several online real estate forums where you can post questions and concerns as well. However, if you've got representation, why are you posting things like, "My agent said this, is it true?" or "My agent suggested I do this, what do you think?" First, I would like to ask you, if you chose someone to … (13 comments)
austin tx real estate agent: Happy Anniversary ActiveRain - Together 5 Productive Years
- 06/30/11 07:35 AM
I missed my 5 year Anniversary with Active Rain. If this were an exclusive relationship, I would bet AR would be issuing a guilt trip about that!! It was June 26, 2006 that I wrote my first post on my blog. On the Success Panel At Raincamp in Dallas last month, Bob asked me what my very first post was, and I guessed. Well, I just looked it up and my guess was right! It was "Pre-Qualified verse Pre-Approved" and it got a whopping 4 comments! It even took 8 months to get those 4 comments!! A couple of things that … (28 comments)
austin tx real estate agent: Texas Real Estate Licensing Requirements are Changing
- 06/23/11 09:03 AM
Texas Real Estate Licensing is having some rule changes. A couple of changes seem to be for the better, but a couple seem to not be... The first one that I would totally and completely agree with is that you must be a Salesperson with FOUR years ACTIVE experience in order to apply and receive a Broker's license. This is changed from two years and I believe the word "active" is new. I like this because too many people straight out of real estate school and barely any experience were immediately trying for their broker's license without any "real world" knowledge … (6 comments)
austin tx real estate agent: Wordless Wednesday - Top Producing Selling Agent in May
- 06/15/11 05:16 AM
In Dallas, I received top awards all the time (pat on the back). Here in Austin, I joined a high-producing office that is always the top RE/MAX office in Central Texas which also includes San Antonio, so I don't expect to be "the top producing" agent, though I do strive to be high up on the list. I was very surprised when I was notified yesterday about being the "top producing agent" in my office for May. After the past couple of months I've had, I rightfully deserve it!!
**Are You Packed Yet?**
Donna Harris, REALTOR®RE/MAX Austin Skylinewww.DonnaHomes.comaDonna@DonnaHomes.com Austin … (9 comments)
austin tx real estate agent: Texas Has Largest Job Growth - Relocate Austin TX
- 06/02/11 08:19 AM
Relocation to Texas is where it's at! I would prefer you relocate to Austin TX since that's where I am, and then I can help you buy a house, but most anywhere in Texas would probably be ok. Why? Because over the past 10 years, Texas has added 732,800 jobs while no other state has added even 100,000! That's huge! That would explain why people keep moving here. If you create jobs, they will come! And Texas created 251,700 jobs just this past year... Many people moving into the area chuckle at our small appreciation numbers, but that small appreciation is … (6 comments)
austin tx real estate agent: The Closing Gift that Everyone Can Appreciate
- 03/25/11 07:43 AM
Over the years, I've given many closing gifts out to my clients. I also go back and forth about whether or not a closing gift is necessary. If I have major surgery, my doctor doesn't give me a gift to thank me for my business. If I go to a restaurant, I have to tip the server instead of them tipping me to thank me for my business. When I go to the dentist, I get a $0.25 toothbrush which is impersonal since I use an electric toothbrush. With that said, when I do give closing gifts, I like to give … (19 comments)
This blog is to help educate Buyers, Sellers and even other Realtors across the country. Each market is different and the way Real Estate is done is different. Austin Real Estate is completely different than Dallas, California and Florida and everywhere else in between. Some times there will be other things besides real estate as I like to rant and rave as much as the next!! Come back often!
My Grandfather died 23 years ago this month, and last night was the very first time he has ever made an appearance in my dreams.
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