tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-283347402011-07-08T01:32:30.617-05:00Consider this your resource for Austin Area Real Estate & Local Information. Come back often for continued news updates and feel free to post comments and any information or news clips you would like to share with the community.Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08260773049221048155noreply@blogger.comBlogger161100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28334740.post-20477518001852068522011-02-14T09:29:00.000-06:002011-02-14T09:29:46.876-06:00

The Texas economy continues to outperform the U.S. economy in the current recovery, according to the Real Estate Center's latest monthly economic review. The state’s economy gained 194,400 jobs from November 2009 to November 2010, an annual growth rate of 1.9 percent, compared with the nation’s 842,000 jobs, an annual growth rate of 0.6 percent. Texas’ private sector continues to play a key

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08260773049221048155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28334740.post-78286136338047062852010-02-05T23:14:00.004-06:002010-02-05T23:25:55.520-06:00

I received an email today from a past client who purchased her home last year. Her question to me concerned filing her homestead exemption. As a convenience courtesy, I recently sent her a homestead form to fill out and send in at no cost BUT, she also received a mail solicitation that looked rather official asking my client to pay a fee to file the homestead exemption on her behalf. My advise to

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08260773049221048155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28334740.post-6769750486754069002008-10-04T17:45:00.002-05:002008-10-04T17:51:27.668-05:00

Buying a home is a big investment, and it is wise to consider what, if any, warranties are in place on the home you are about the purchase.When Purchasing a New Home: Typically, warranties for newly built homes offer limited coverage on workmanship and materials to components such as windows, appliances, heating, air-conditioning, plumbing, electrical and major structural for a specified

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08260773049221048155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28334740.post-62153852042504722132008-10-04T17:40:00.002-05:002008-10-04T17:44:40.042-05:00

You know to get a physical check up from the doctor once a year, but how often are you getting a check-up on your credit reports?Thanks to a federal law that went into effect in 2004, each of the 3 major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and Transunion) is required to provide you with one free copy of your credit report per year upon request from a centralized source.This centralized source

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08260773049221048155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28334740.post-70420951852783956702008-10-03T19:45:00.002-05:002008-10-03T19:48:39.027-05:00

New flood plain maps for Austin will take effect on September 26, 2008. With the new maps, there are several hundred properties, including homes, businesses and undeveloped land, that will move in or out of the floodplain. Those moved out are mainly due to city improvements.The Federal Emergency Management Agency began updating Austin and Travis County's floodplain maps in 2003 as part of a

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08260773049221048155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28334740.post-71917425576143692832008-10-03T19:41:00.003-05:002008-10-03T19:43:22.627-05:00

Austin & Round Rock did it again! Another blockbuster ranking! This time reported by Milken Institute and Greenstreet Real Estate Partners on September 16. According to their report, Austin-Round Rock region ranks 4th place among the 2008 Best Performing Cities! The components for establishing ranking of large cities for this report include job, wage, salary and technology growth.View the report

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08260773049221048155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28334740.post-36788388150104454022008-09-12T20:40:00.002-05:002008-09-12T20:43:37.987-05:00

We’ve all heard these words before: Location, Location, Location. Buying a home is a big part of this simple wisdom. While a home can be remodeled, repaired and added on to, the location is something you just can’t change. Buying a home that is not the right location fit can lead to much discontent in the long term.Many years ago I worked with a buyer who was living north central Austin -- in the

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08260773049221048155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28334740.post-28021472438510461232008-09-12T20:31:00.004-05:002008-09-12T20:38:53.889-05:00

You won’t find a sign along the road telling you where it’s at. But if you’re lucky enough to stumble down Chisholm Trail Road, a small two lane street, you’ll catch a glimpse of it just beyond the bridge extending out from the middle of Brushy Creek.I remember the first time I saw the round rock back in 1985. To me, it looked more like the shape of a mushroom than a round rock. I chuckle to

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08260773049221048155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28334740.post-68451856882863042532008-09-04T19:56:00.001-05:002008-09-04T19:59:17.277-05:00

Yesterday while searching though MLS, I came across a listing where the seller is offering one year of electric bill paid for the buyer. Now, incentives are not an unusual perk in our Austin market, and I‘ve seen some pretty creative enticements. Still, this one got me to thinking about incentives and asking myself, just how effective are they? Speaking from my own experiences, I would have to

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08260773049221048155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28334740.post-56475934357346668852008-09-04T08:57:00.000-05:002008-09-04T09:08:33.432-05:00

Put the sign in the yard, talk to some buyers, sell the home. Sounds pretty simple on the surface, but if it were really that easy we’d all be doing it. Although it can be a fine way to save on commission fees, those who try to sell on their own usually develop some appreciation for how realtors earn their commission In reality, the home selling process is a complex one and there are many details

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08260773049221048155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28334740.post-9142618186295482572007-03-18T23:29:00.000-05:002007-03-18T23:33:46.528-05:00

I often wonder why home buyers think new construction means “perfect condition.” Everything is brand new and looks perfect but how can one be so sure it’s perfectly problem-free. After all, with the majority of construction tasks (foundation, framing, electrical, plumbing, etc) being subcontracted out and so much going on at one time, it’s nearly impossible for the builder/contractor to

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08260773049221048155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28334740.post-1163043723054279022006-11-08T21:30:00.000-06:002008-09-04T10:38:52.138-05:00

On more than one occasion, I've had clients from out of the area curiously ask me meaning of "Keep Austin Weird". Truly, you'd almost have to be an Austinite to appreciate the substance behind these three simple words and surely everyone has an opinion but I'll give it my best shot.In the beginning, the phrase arose from an offhand remark by Red Wassenich during a live broadcast phone

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08260773049221048155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28334740.post-1162766646991650442006-11-05T16:23:00.000-06:002006-11-05T16:47:32.953-06:00

Gaston & Sheehan Realty held our first annual "Care & Share" Food Drive yesterday. All donations went to The Storehouse Food Pantry, a nonprofit organization that provides food to those in need. We are thrilled that we had the priviledge to be a part of such a good cause, and grateful for the outpouring of community participation. A special thanks to our co-sponsors, MD Termite & Pest Control,

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08260773049221048155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28334740.post-1161018801062877602006-10-16T12:12:00.000-05:002006-10-16T12:17:32.290-05:00

Your home might be your castle, but that doesn't mean a buyer will pay a king's ransom for it. Rising home sales and prices in Central Texas are inflating homeowners' expectations of what they can get for their houses.Seller's read that sales are up and inventory is down and they think it all applies to them even more so. They read about out-of-state investors buying into Austin Real Estate and

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08260773049221048155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28334740.post-1153631815623532212006-07-23T00:14:00.000-05:002006-07-23T01:34:01.180-05:00

The Austin Business Journal recently reported the Austin area added 26,500 jobs during the last 12 months, according to the latest report from the Texas Workforce Commission. Between the months of May and June 2006, area payrolls grew by 4,000 jobs. The unemployment rate in the metropolitan area dropped slightly over the last year to 4.4 percent from 4.5 percent in June 2005.Paul Kaihla of "

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08260773049221048155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28334740.post-1147972993437004612006-05-18T11:13:00.000-05:002006-05-19T10:38:07.376-05:00

I've been thinking about what my first blog might be of interest to share. Lately, I've been getting calls from out-0f-state investors so it dawned on me this is newsworthy information. This past month alone, I represented three buyers in the purchase of four homes in the Austin area. It's interesting to note all three investors hail from California and don't plan on living in the homes, for now

Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08260773049221048155noreply@blogger.com