Austin Texas Homes and More

Archive for September, 2009

My friend Tracy Blair at Gracy Title just shared some good news with me. The news is about how the economy is recovering. We are making our way out of the recession slowly but surely. There is light at the end of the tunnel and the end is near! While the national real estate market has seriously slowed, the Austin Texas home market has only seen a slight drop in closed home sales. Now is a great time to buy a home in Austin. Many homeowners are now choosing to move up to a larger home to take advantage of the increased inventory and historically low home loan interest rates. There are many people relocating to Austin looking to buy homes and start businesses in Austin. The First Time Home-buyer tax credit has also proven to be a great tool to assist home buyers. The tax credit is up to $8000 on the purchase of a new construction or resale home. Please note that if you have not owned a home in the last three years, you qualify as a “First time homebuyer“! This program has helped many renters make the leap to home owners! Tracy said to share this positive news with clients and friends so here goes. Please note the information sources are credited below the quotes.

 

Analysis: Tax Credit Adds 357,000 Buyers
A study estimates that 357,000 buyers have been motivated so far by the $8,000 First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit.

The study by Campbell Surveys, a division of Campbell Communications, calculated the figure by comparing the number of first-time homebuyers before and after the tax credit was instituted. The percentage of first-time buyers rose from 32 percent in January and February to 43 percent for the rest of the year – except July when the rate fell to 42 percent.

Campbell ’s Research Director Thomas Popik pointed out that this survey mirrors the numbers calculated by the National Association of REALTORS® and those from Moody’s Economy.com.

The data supports legislative efforts in both the U.S. House and Senate to extend the tax credit.

Source: HousingWire.com, Austin Kilgore (09/22/2009)

 

Sometimes it feels like that everyone is waiting on good news from the real estate sector before the recovery can begin. The following article covers NON-real estate good news.

Published September 23, 2009 in On the Street by Sarah Morgan Wall Street Journal Digest – SmartMoney

If you are in the market for a new home and are not presently working with a Realtor, please call me. I would be happy to help you through the process of buying a home. I specialize in Relocation and I will   make the process easy to navigate. I look forward to the opportunity to earn your business.

Betina Foreman, Realtor

Keller Williams Real Estate 1801 S. Mopac, Suite 100  Austin, Texas 78746    512-771-6318  BetinaForemanRealtor@yahoo.com   Betina@KW.com   www.ZilkerParkHomes.com

Member: Austin Board of Realtors, Texas Association of Realtors, National Association of Realtors, ActiveRain, Trulia-Top Voices, and Zillow-Neighborhood Pros.

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It may be a dirty business but it does not have to be a secret. It is important to know what your getting into. Selling homes with septic systems is nothing new. Many communities in the Austin area have homes with septic systems, for example: Shady Hollow, Dripping Springs, Westlake Hills, Lakeway, Hudsen Bend, Bee Creek, Lago Vista just to name a few. I have sold many of these homes and can help Buyers be aware of what to look for in a functioning septic. There are several reputable septic companies around town that can help you with the process of pumping and inspecting your septic tank. Iwant to share  a little about the process with you.

Depending on where the house is determines who should inspect the system. If the property is within 2000 feet of Lake Travis, it is required to be inspected by LCRA-The Lower Colorado River Authority. The seller will apply to have it inspected and file to transfer the “Permit to Operate an Onsite Sewer Facility”. The inspection can be a “walk-over” or a full tank excavation/pump/inspection. The LCRA has the authority to uncover and inspect your septic system every five years to ensure it is operating properly. They do this to ensure the Lake Travis wateris not compromised with septic run-off.

If the property is well away from the lake you may have it pumped and inspected by the company of your choice prior to purchasing the home. I always recommend that home buyers have a septic inspected prior to purchase even if the seller says its working fine. Better to have the peace of mind that you know it is functioning properly. Some companies will even give a discount if they perform both services. Typically the Seller will pay to pump the tank and the buyer will pay for the inspection. So if you choose to use the same company you may save a few dollars. The cost of pumping depends on the size of the tank. Typically its about $275-$400 for a 1000 gallon tank, the cost of inspection ranges for $250-$400 as well. There are a variety of variables: age of tank, size of tank, size of drain-field etc. You should be able to contact the county to obtain a copy of the installation permit and diagram of tank and field location.

If you need to find a septic company please visit my website: www.BetinaForeman.com to veiw the list. Of course if I can assist you to find your next home please give me a call.

 

Betina Foreman Realtor

Keller Williams Realty

1801 S. MOPAC, Suite 100

Austin, TX 78746  512-771-6318

 

 

 

 

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This message just came from SOS (Save Our Springs). I had to share with my AR friends in the hopes that the local memebrs will join me at this meeting! Thanks for your time! ALERT: Thursday’s Water Debate Moved to Palmer Event Center   This Thursday’s Town Hall Debate and Dialogue on Water Treatment Plant No. 4 has been moved from St. Edward’s to the Palmer Events Center, 900 Barton Springs Road at the intersection with South First Street. Start time remains at 6:00.  Map link. You can get to the Palmer Center by bus routes 5, 10, and 30.   Please plan to attend this historic Town Hall meeting on charting Austin’s Water Future.  It’s not every day that Austin Water Utility officials agree to publicly debate SOS and other Austin environmental leaders. If you want to save Austin ratepayers more than a billion dollars, and move Austin towards sustainability and conservation please be there, listen, and engage. You can learn more about this issue by clicking here .   Unfortunately the Chamber of Commerce is spreading misinformation on the proposal, insisting that we need more treatment capacity to serve population growth.  The simple FACT is that conservation is the cheapest supply of water, far cheaper than building a massive new plant that assumes decades of water waste and higher water bills.    If built, the Water Utility will have no choice but to encourage water waste in order to pay off the $400 million of borrowed money used to build it – or raise water rates non-stop.  With conservation and expanded reuse, we can accommodate decades of population growth with our existing water treatment plants.    The best – and only – path to economic prosperity and water security is to pursue affordability and sustainability through efficiency and conservation.     Join us Thursday night at the Palmer Center at 6pm.

Sincerely, Save Our Springs Alliance

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People always ask me how Austin’s economy is doing. My answer is while the rest of the country is not faring so well, we seem to be doing fine. Historically Texas is the last state into a recession and the first one to come out of it. Now I have some more solid information to back this up. Recently the Austin Business Journalreported that according to IHS Global Insight of Lexington Massachusetts Austin is poised to be one of the first cities out of the slump.

 “Austin and San Antonio will be the first two U.S. cities to recover from the recession, according to a new national forecast from IHS Global Insight.

The forecast from the Lexington , Mass. economic research firm suggests the two Texas cities will bounce back to their pre-recession job levels sometime next year.”

There is more good news. The Brookings Institute also named Austin as one of the 20 best performing metropolitan areas in the second quarter of 2009.

“Texas had the strongest showing, with six cities among the 20 strongest metro areas: Austin , Dallas , El Paso , Houston , McAllen and San Antonio . Florida dominated the list of the 20 weakest metro areas with eight, including Bradenton , Cape Coral , Lakeland , Miami , Orlando , Palm Bay and Tampa.”

If you would like to read the entire Brookings Report please follow this link:  http://www.brookings.edu/reports/2009/06_metro_monitor.aspx

 

 

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Living in Austin Texas it is hard to not get swept up in the football frenzy that is: The University of Texas Longhorns and the Bowie Bulldogs. So here are a few tidbits that you can share with your other friends that are football obsessed.

The NFL icon Vince Lombardi came up with the phrase “game plan”.

According to NFL regulations the team hosting the game must have at least 26 footballs aired up and ready to go for the game.

Did you know that it takes the hides of 3000 cattle to supply the leather for one years supply of foot-balls?

If you need more information on UT Football like team rosters or football schedule please go to: www.OrangeBloods.com!!

 

OK here are some news bytes about our hometown Austin. These are some of the reasons 1000 people a week are moving to Austin Texas as reported by the Austin Chamber of Commerce. We seem to land in the news on a regular basis in regards to our low home prices and high quality of life.

We are consistently ranked in the top ten places to live by a number of national sources.

Texas is historically the last one into a recession and the first one out.

 Builder Magazine rates Austin TX as number 2 in the nation on its “Healthiest Home Markets in 2009“.

USA News and World Report stated in January of this year that Texas is the best place to start a new business and Austin is the heart of where the new businesses are launched.

In August 2009 ABC News ranked “Austin in the top five cities to buy a home and get the most house for your money.”

If you want to get ahead of the crowd and score a touchdown for the home team, call me for your real estate needs. I specialize in Relocation and can help you blast through the defensive line to score the Austin area home of your dreams.

Hook’em’Horns!

Betina

Betina Foreman Realtor  with Keller Williams

1801 S. MOPAC, Suite 100  Austin TX 78746   512-771-6318   BetinaForemanRealtor@yahoo.com  www.BetinaForeman.com  www.ZilkerParkHomes.com

 

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Austin Texas has been and is still in a critical/extreme stage drought. This is the highest level of drought. Day before yesterday it started raining in the Austin area. We got about two inches the first day and five and a half inches yesterday.

Some people think that since it has rained that the drought is over. However they could not be more wrong. We are still in a drought, period. We are over 30 inches below average rainfall. Our lakes are all still critically low and all of the boat launches on Lake Travis have been closed for several weeks. Many people that have wells are discovering they are running dry. We are still in a very serious drought and it will take weeks or months of rain like this to get us back to normal water levels. So even though its raining we still need to conserve our water resources.

The flip side to the rain coming all at once is the fact that is causes flooding. The land is very dry and dusty and when the rain comes quickly it just runs over the parched land and does not soak into the ground. The massive amounts of water we are receiving can easily cause some Austin roads to flood or get washed out. So now people need to be very careful when driving. We have many low water crossings in the area. These low water crossings become very dangerous. It only takes 9 inches of water to wash away a car.

So if you come up to a low water crossing and see water over the road, turn around and don’t drown. When these extreme weather occurrences happen it is safest to stay home. The roads can be dangerous and flash flooding may occur. Please drive safely and try to avoid low water crossings.

 

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I have a new listing in the much sought after 78704 zip code. For those of you in Austin you know 78704 is the hip zip that everyone wants. It is close to downtown and parts of this zip code even have views of downtown or the Capitol.

This lovely home is petite at 1158square feet, but it has been remodeled with a great open floor-plan. The two bedrooms and two bathrooms feel more spacious that you would think. There are three living areas and a formal dining room. The updates include new kitchen and bamboo floors throughout. The .22 acre back yard has gorgeous wrap around Tiger wood decks and a seven person Dimension hot tub! There is also a wonderful three season room in back with all the amenities. You can walk to SXSW, or Austin City Limits Festival. All of this for only $390K!!

To see the virtual tour follow this link: http://www.tourfactory.com/543290

 

 

 

If you are in the market for a new home and are not presently working with a Realtor, please call me. I would be happy to help you through the process of buying a home. I specialize in Relocation and I have a network of experts to make the process easy to navigate. I look forward to the opportunity to earn your business.

Betina Foreman, Realtor

Keller Williams Real Estate   1801 S. Mopac, Suite 100  Austin, Texas 78746   512-771-6318  BetinaForemanRealtor@yahoo.com   Betina@KW.com   www.ZilkerParkHomes.com

Member: Austin Board of Realtors, Texas Association of Realtors, National Association of Realtors, ActiveRain, Trulia-Top Voices, and Zillow-Neighborhood Pros.

 

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Help me find a new home for Porter. He is a very sweet well adjusted Border Collie mix. He is current on all of his shots and has a loving playful nature. His family is moving and can’t take him to the new home. He is used to being able to roam on two acres, so a big yard would be nice, but its not mandatory. He is seven years old and loves to have his belly rubbed. He likes being where ever the people are as he is very social. If you can take home or if you know someone who can take him, please contact me. I have attached his bio and a photo below. His current famliy’s phone number is listed in the photo & you could call them directly and tell William that I sent you. Thanks for your time!

Betina

 

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Please stop by  Rita Roby’s open House at 3902 Gaines Court Sunday Sept 6th from 2-5. This is a wonderful gated community close to downtown Austin. This home backs to the greenbelt and has 2553 square feet that feels very spacious with 3 bedrooms and 3 baths. The home has a shady backyard and poch and many other updates. This home is on the quieter side of the community far from and traffic noise of MOPAC. Please call Rita Roby the owner/listing agent if you need directions or the gate code. Rita’s cell phone is 512-657-9341 and she will also be holding open #3902 simultaneously.

 

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Please stop by  Rita Roby’s open House at 3904 Gaines Court Sunday Sept 6th from 2-5. This is a wonderful gated community close to downtown Austin. This home backs to the greenbelt and has 2721 square feet that feels very spacious. There are lovely hardwood floors and many other updates. This home is on the quieter side of the community far from and traffic noise. Please call Rita Roby if you need directions or the gate code. Rita’s cell phone is 512-657-9341 and she will also be holding open #3902 simultaneously.

 

 

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