Austin, TX Real Estate is on Fire!

Mar 09 2010 by Emily Matthews

Saw this from my friend Sam Chapman and had to share the good news. Check out the following stats below:

Stats from Alamo Title Co:

The Austin Market:
The number of active listings is down 1.81% from last year during the same week.
New listings are up 19.20%.
Pendings are up this week by 34.86%.
Sold residential units are up 60.49% compared to the same week last year.

The Week... Full Story

Categories :

What you need to claim the tax credit

Feb 26 2010 by Emily Matthews

Let’s face it, for those of us who are first time homebuyers or our upgrading to another home, the tax credit has been very helpful. But how exactly do you get that money?

I just received an email today that states exactly what is needed…

If you’re a first time homebuyer, go to the IRS website and download Form 5405. You’ll include it with the rest of your documents when you go to file... Full Story

Categories : Real Estate

F.H.A. is raising their standards

Feb 12 2010 by Emily Matthews

If you’re a first time homebuyer, things can be pretty confusing right now. With the tax credit deadlines, who qualifies, new F.H.A. standards, etc. there’s a lot to keep up with.

Just recently the Federal Housing Administration announced they are going to be increasing the mortgage insurance premium on F.H.A. insured loans. The new premium will be 2.25%, a .5% increase from what it was before.

In addition to the insurance premium, beginning this summer... Full Story

Categories : Real Estate

The Brodie Park Shopping Center is well on its way

Jan 28 2010 by Emily Matthews

I was really excited and a bit nervous when I saw the bulldozers and dumptrucks begin to make themselves at home so close to where I live. Excited because I thought, yippee we’re going to be getting some new potential retail/restaurant establishments just around the corner, but nervous because you never know who’s going to be moving in. My husband and I shared our dreams of a local coffee shop, dry cleaning business, a place... Full Story

Categories : All About Austin

FHA Toughens Down Payment Rules

Jan 22 2010 by Emily Matthews

Every week I receive an e-newsletter from realtor.org with the latest updates in market trends, lending info. and tips to pass onto my clients. The issue I received today had the following article regarding changes being made to FHA loan applications:
The Federal Housing Administration will raise the minimum down payment for its least credit-worthy borrowers, the agency announced Tuesday.

The change is among a number of major changes the FHA is... Full Story

Categories : Real Estate

Stellar Outlook for Austin's Economy

Jan 21 2010 by Emily Matthews

2010 looks bright for Austin! Economist Angelos Angelou was one of many economists predicting that Austin will be one of the first cities to pull out of the recession.

One major contributing factor to this is our city’s population growth. Last year 44,000 people moved to Austin and it is predicted that another 110,000 will move here in the next two years bringing in a significant demand for housing amongst other things.

Job stability is... Full Story

Categories : All About Austin

Amount of Downtown Condos Dwindling

Dec 15 2009 by Emily Matthews

It’s undeniable. The Austin downtown skyline has changed dramatically over the past decade, with dozen of new buildings popping up, namely various condominium and apartment buildings.

Many speculated that “downtown living” would not take off here, but a recent article seems to disprove that. Recent estimates state that there are roughly 400 units left to purchase in the downtown area. With lenders tightening their ropes and loans getting harder to obtain, it is unlikely that... Full Story

Categories : Real Estate

Austin's Famed "Trail of Lights" aka "Zilker Tree Holiday Festival"

Nov 12 2009 by Emily Matthews

There’s been a lot of discussion amongst the Austin City Council members on whether or not to continue the long-standing tradition of the Zilker Park Trail of Lights, whether or not to charge admission, scale it back or do away with it completely due to a budget deficit.

Well, we now have our answer. There will be a scaled back version of what we longtime Austinites affectionately call ToL. Instead of its usual location, winding... Full Story

Categories : All About Austin

Great news for the Austin economy

Oct 29 2009 by Emily Matthews

Instead of blogging about each article individually, I’ve decided to lump these three blurbs of articles that discuss the latest and greatest regarding our fabulous city… These are the types of articles I send out to out-of-town buyers keeping them informed of what is going on locally. It can be a bit depressing to hear what is going on nationally, but there’s a little ray of sunshine shining down on our market:)

Friday, October 23,... Full Story

Categories : All About Austin

Need something to do this weekend?

Sep 18 2009 by Emily Matthews

Go visit a museum!!

This Sunday, September 20th, marks the 21st annual Austin Museum Day where patrons gain free admission to 28 local Austin museums.Started by the Austin Museum Partnership to encourage Austinites to get out and get cultured, there is something for everyone. Below is a list of participating museums: