July 2006

Downtown living goal hits a snag

July 17, 2006

This is from the Austin Business Journal – July 14, 2006 When the City of Austin hires a consultant to create a new plan for the future of downtown later this summer, at least one group wants that plan to address some hard questions on residential development. Mayor Will Wynn’s goal of having 25,000 residents [...]

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eLendDirect – Shameful Inflation of Loan Fees

July 16, 2006

I recently wrote about being fed up with out of state lenders and the lousy service they often provide borrowers. My low opinion of these lenders is based on personal real estate sales experience in dealing with Buyers who use lenders from their home state, or the “Internet”, instead of Austin lenders when purchasing homes [...]

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Median San Diego Home Price Falls

July 14, 2006

Since so many of our buyers come from California, and are selling homes in California, I thought this was interesting. We have at least one buyer who has already purchased in Austin but is waiting to sell a home in california before moving here, and the CA home is not selling as fast as was [...]

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Austin Street Names – Does a Politically Incorrect Street Name Affect Home Value?

July 13, 2006

We are purchasing some acreage lots in Oak Hill, and I just found out that other buyers on my street don’t like the name of the street on which our lots are located and have requested the developer to change the name. The street name is ‘Sisquoc’, which I think is a cool name. Sisquoc [...]

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Bankrate.com Accused of Allowing Bait-and-Switch

July 12, 2006

If you read my recent blog about out of state and internet mortgage lenders, and how they foul up our deals and cause delays, you know I’m no fan of these internet mortgage loan hucksters. Below is a tidbit following up on the type of problems buyers often experience – a low rate being promised [...]

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What will the Cash Flow Look Like on a Typical Investment Home in Austin TX?

July 12, 2006

I’ve just updated the Investing in Austin page on my website. I wrote it about a year ago and realized it was sorely in need of an update. It now has fresh numbers and charts that more closely match the actual numbers that a lot of our investor buyers are contemplating with the types of [...]

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Austin Retail Real Estate Market is Hot

July 11, 2006

AUSTIN (globest.com) – Big-ticket retail sales are keeping pace with Austin’s red-hot housing market. This year developers are raising 2.7 million square feet of retail space, a slight increase from last year’s construction output. Recent reports indicate the metro’s retail market is edging toward a four-year high. According to a Weitzman Group analysis, 28.5 million [...]

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I’ve Just About Had it with Out of State Lenders

July 6, 2006

Rarely do we have a closing delayed due to incomplete loan work when the buyer’s lender is an experienced local Austin lender. In fact, we often have closing docs a week or two early (Thank you, Helene!!). The opposite is true with out of town lenders. We are often chasing down these out of state [...]

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Austin Rental Market Update – Mid Year 2006

July 5, 2006

Rent values for single family homes in the Austin area slid a bit lower in June compared to June of last year. The market is however showing an impressive ability to absorb the additional supply created by investors. The first six months of 2006 compared to the first 6 months of 2005 have seen a [...]

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Austin Area New home starts remain strong through second quarter

July 5, 2006

This is from todays statesman.com online. New home sales are doing well in Austin but there are signs that the market could be cooling slightly. FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS Wednesday, July 05, 2006 New home starts remain strong through second quarter, But inventory is creeping up, hinting at a potential slowdown. Central Texas home [...]

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