Thanks for coming back! Hope you’re finding value here. Please feel free to request an appointment to discuss your residential real estate needs, or to see homes. I’m committed to your success! From the Austin Real Estate Blog: in December, for the fourth month in a row, Austin real estate sales were up over the previous [...]

More collateral damage from the housing bust: workers are less apt to relocate for employment because they can’t afford to sell their homes in a down market — so they stay put. [Link] The ability to relocate for employment, which helped the U.S. economy recover quickly after previous deep recessions, is the latest victim of the [...]

The Austin Board of Realtors and the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin held a housing and economic forecast event Wednesday at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Cetner at UT. Eldon Rude of MetroStudy said that economic and housing fundamentals are the strongest among the more than 40 housing markets across the country, [...]

Selling a home below the current moertage amount create a “short” sale. This minimizes the damage to the seller’s credit and minimizes the financial loss of the lender, as well as minimizing the fall of the local market prices. Good for all, right? Except it takes a long time, and many buyers can’t or won’t [...]

“Thirty-year fixed-rate home mortgages averaged 4.78% during the week of Nov. 23, an all-time low, according to Freddie Mac’s weekly surveys.” [Link] This is good news for home buyers and potential sellers, especially given the extension of tax incentives. If you’re thinking about buying or selling, now might be the best time! Prices are low now, too, [...]

According to the Austin Business Journal, the Austin-Round Rock area was named best performing city on the 2009 Milken Institute/Greenstreet Real Estate Partners Best Performing Cities Index. This is based on Austin’s ability to create and sustain jobs, considering metrics for employment, salary growth and technology output. “Texas’ strong position in our best performing cities [...]

Three extensions of the tax credit for first-time home buyers have been proposed in the Senate. The hope is that a liberal extension of the amount as well as the length of time in effect will permanently raise the housing market to a sustainable level of activity before it is phased out or time runs [...]

Joe Biden is helping promote green jobs that stay at home, literally, through a proposal for a new program to boost energy savings for homeowners and help our environment, too.  The White House estimates greenhouse gas emissions could be lowered by up to 160 million metric tons by 2020.  Find more info in the Recovery [...]

Increase in housing starts are up for the month, but down 45% from a year ago. Not in Austin, but nationally, there is still a glut of homes on the market, many of which are foreclosures or distressed properties. The low interest rates and the $8,000 tax credit have had a major impact on the [...]

Austin is the best city to get a fresh start, according to Relocation.com (via Austin Business Journal). Austin’s at the top of a list “based on consumer requests for moving quotes to move to that city; economic-growth prospects; home affordability; and the strength of a community as reflected by volunteerism rates.”