According to an article just released by the Associated Press, after six months of less than stellar numbers in the housing market, sales posted in February were on the rise.  According to the National Association of Realtors, home sales rose 2.9% in the month of February contradicting forecaster’s earlier predictions. This pleasant surprise has led many to believe that the market is stabilizing and overall things aren’t as bad as the seem in the real estate market.

By region of the country, sales surged by 11.3 percent in the Northeast and were up 2.5 percent in the Midwest and 2.1 percent in the South. The only region of the country to see a decline in the sales was the West, where they dropped by 1.1 percent.

 On a more local level, the median sales price of homes in Central Texas increased by 2%, but single-family home sales were on the decline according to the Austin Board of Realtors. With the warmer weather and busy season of the real estate industry set to begin, those numbers are expected to rise in the upcoming months.

It’s that time of year again! Below is a brief overview & general schedule of events for the festival. I’ve also included the link to the official SXSW website. Make sure to keep your eyes and ears open for the free shows. I hear there are some great bands playing!

Music: March 12th - 16th

The SXSW Music and Media Conference showcases hundreds of musical acts from around the globe on over fifty stages in downtown Austin. By day, conference registrants do business in the SXSW Trade Show at the Austin Convention Center and partake in a full agenda of informative, provocative panel discussions featuring hundreds of guest speakers of international stature.

Film: March 7th - 15th

The SXSW Film Conference and Festival emphasizes all aspects of the art and business of independent filmmaking. The festival has gained international acclaim for the quality of its programming with a special focus on emerging talents who benefit from having their films in the company of the cinematic greats whose work is regularly presented.

Interactive: March 7th - 11th

The SXSW Interactive Festival celebrates the creativity and passion behind the coolest new media technologies. In addition to panel sessions that cover everything from web design to bootstrapping to social networks, attendees make new business connections at the tree-day Trade Show & Exhibition. The newest element of the event is ScreenBurn, which adds specific gaming industry programming as well as a two-day Arcade to the mix.

Schedule of Events:

Friday, March 7th: Film & Interactive Registration: 10am - 8pm

Film Opening Party - Film Festival

Saturday, March 8th: Film & Interactive Registration: 9am - 8pm

- Film Panels & Festival

- Interactive & ScreenBurn Panels

- ScreenBurn Arcade

- Interactive Opening Party

Sunday, March 9th: Film & Interactive Registration: 9:30am - 6pm

- iF! Exhibition

- Film Panels & Festival

- ScreenBurn Arcade
- Interactive & ScreenBurn Panels

- Interactive Web Awards

Monday, March 10th: Film & Interactive Registration: 9:30am - 6pm

- iF! Exhibition

- Film Panels & Festival

- Interactive & ScreenBurn Panels

Tuesday, March 11th: Film, Interactive, & Music Registration: 10am - 8pm

- iF! Exhibition

- Film Panels & Festival

- Interactive & ScreenBurn Panels

- Film Awards & Closing Party

- Interactive Closing Party

- Music Conference, Festival & Trade Show

Wednesday, March 12th: Music Registration: 10am - midnight

- Golf Tournament

- Music Panels, Trade Show, Festival

- Music Welcome Dinner

- Film Festival

- Austin Music Awards

Thursday, March 13th: Music Registration: 9am - 10pm

- Music Panels, Trade Show & Festival

- Film Festival

- Flatstock Poster Artist Show

Friday, March 14th: Music Registration: 10am - 9pm

- Music Panels, Trade Show & Festival

- Film Festival

- Flatstock Poster Artist Show

Saturday, March 15th: Music Registration: 11am - 4pm

- Music Panels, Trade Show & Festival

- Film Festival

- Flatstock Poster Artist Show

Sunday, March 16th:

- Softball Tournament & Barbecue

- Music Festival

For a complete list of shows visit: www.sxsw.com

The Austin City Council gave their final approval on the 270-unit condo project with construction slated to begin within the next 30 days.

Located on Barton Springs Rd. within a stone’s throw of Zilker Park and Restaurant Row, Barton Place offers the ultimate Austin lifestyle.

Prices start in the high $200,000s with presales already under way.

Interested? Contact me and I’ll send you any information you need!

Ray Perryman, a Texas economist who owns the Perryman Group,  recently released his latest analysis on the housing market in Austin, especially the downtown area. With 6,000 residents already calling downtown home and another 4,000 residential units under construction, Perryman estimates the population in the downtown area to double within the next few years. He attributes the surge to rising energy costs and traffic, making downtown living much more desirable.

The majority of the buyers are young professionals coming to the area with healthy, high paying jobs in expanding fields, such as technology. Other buyers are those purchasing the condos as second homes or corporate housing. Even if less than 1% of the population were to purchase a home downtown, they would still fill up all of the available units and those under construction.

With an estimated 40,000 people moving to Austin each year, Perryman estimates the Austin real estate market to fair well amongst the dooming markets across the rest of the U.S.