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Blog Table of Contents:
February 22, 2012 - Austin Housing Sales for January '12
The Austin Board of Realtors just released market statistics for January 2012. The information is published below. Personally, I've observed that we are currently experiencing a Seller's market with inventory low and demand high. Many homeowners chose to take their homes off the market over the holidays and are just now deciding whether or not to re-list. If you are considering selling your home, do not hesitate. NOW is the time - BEFORE everyone else jumps into the market. Call me for a personalized evaluation of your home complete with my estimate of your final sales price and timeline needed to sell. I'm looking forward to hearing from you...
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February 13th, 2012, Know Your Stuff
If you had the misfortune of suffering a major loss from fire or natural disaster, would you be able to remember everything you own in order to make a claim for loss of personal property? This is one of the most difficult parts of the recovery process. If you know someone who lost a home in the wildfires last year, you and they know the issue first hand.
August 15th, 2011:Continuing to Look for Underlying Strength in Housing Sales:
One of the many ‘trends’ that researches such as those at the Texas A & M Real Estate Center are always on the lookout for is what’s often referred to as an “inflection point” in their data.
When a trend is either moving up or down, it’s easy to just say “next month will, or should be a continuation of the trend.” An inflection point occurs when a previous trend clearly has ended and a new one has begun.
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July 27th, 2011:Looking Good: Foreclosures Are Down Locally, New Construction is Up Nationally:
It looks like both Austin and the national real estate markets are beginning to show more signs of life. We might not be out of the woods completely yet, but we’re definitely starting to see a few of the positive trends that I talked about in my last few blogs beginning to have some staying power.
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July 8th, 2011: Local Austin Area Real Estate Market Continues to Show Significant Signs of Strength:
According to the Austin Multiple Listing Service’s May, 2011 sales report that was recently released by the Austin Board of REALTORS®, that even though the overall volume of single-family home sales decreased year-over-year by 8% to 1,891 (from May of last year), the median price of Austin area homes sold increased by just over 4%. And that is definitely good news if you’re looking to sell!
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June 8th, 2011: Recent Trends in Home Buyer Preferences Show Smaller Homes Gaining Momentum
A trend I’ve noticed with buyers that appears to be gaining momentum over the past few years is that while they're looking for smaller houses (“right sizing” is the term most often heard as opposed to “downsizing”) they are also beginning to focus more and more on ‘lifestyle’ choices such as outdoor living spaces, higher-end interior design elements, and other upgraded amenities.
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May 15th, 2011: Austin and Central Texas Economies Continue Long Term Positive Trends
This past month final nationwide data became available from the 2010 US Census for the entire United States. And there’s some great news included for Austin! Among the over 100 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (an “MSA” is a “metro” area with over 500,000 in population) Austin was the fifth fastest growing area during the past decade!
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April 29, 2011:Protesting Your Property Taxes
Oftentimes, homeowners who are concerned about their most recent property tax appraisals are reluctant to file a protest simply due to a lack of information about the appeals process overall. It can seem daunting at first glance, but it’s easier than you might think.
If you live in the Austin area, May 31st is the deadline in both Williamson and Travis counties to file a protest with the Appraisal Review Boards. To determine if your home may be over-valued, you'll need to do the following...Read Full Post
March 21st, 2011: Austin Luxury High Rise Slaes Activity Update
The W Hotel Residences (www.block21residences.com) is the last of the luxury downtown high rises to open here in Austin and represents a significant milestone in the downtown building boom. Currently occupancy is permitted up to the 24th floor with private ownership beginning from the ground floor up. Prices start at $510 per square foot; and, on the upper floors, units are selling in excess of $1,000 per square foot..... Read Full Post
As a dog lover, I'm always happy to see clients' faces light up when I tell them they're moving towhat may well be the most dog-friendly city in Texas. It's common in Europe for people to take their dogs with them pretty much anywhere, but this idea is late to catch on in the United States.It goes without saying that for your dog to be really welcome, good behavior and sound training are a must, but there are plenty of places in Austin for Rover to put his best paw forward..... Read Full Post
February 17, 2011: Private Transfer Fees
If you've never heard of private transfer fees (PTFs), you're not alone. Most consumers have no idea that deed restrictions of this type even exist, or that they require a percentage of future sales proceeds to go back to the homeowners association, developer, or property owner in question. The length of this requirement often extends 99 years into the future.... Read Full Post
February 1st, 2011: Austin Housing Forecast for 2011
The much anticipated Austin housing forecast for 2011 is predicting a slow improvement through the first two quarters according to The Economist. The uptick will likely begin in the third quarter and pick up momentum in the fourth, positioning the opening months of 2012 to be prime for listing a property...Read Full Post
January 21st 2011: Austin's F1 - Track
Any time 417 acres go under development the surrounding neighborhoods and community experience a mix of excitement and apprehension. That's a fair explanation for reactions to the $250 million Formula 1 race track going in on the SH-130 corridor with a scheduled completion date in 2012. This is a case, however, where the long-range benefits far outweigh the short-range logistics.....Read Full Post
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