From the monthly archives:

July 2007

Austin renters to pay more late fees with new law

July 29, 2007

The brilliance of our Texas Legislature is on display again as a new law, HB 3101 which will go into effect Jan 2008, has been passed that will produce greater late fee income for landlords by ensuring that more renters pay their rent late. Undoubtedly, this is not the outcome hoped for by State Representative [...]

10 comments Read the full article →

Austin Rental Market Update – June 2007 and Mid-year Stats

July 29, 2007

Rents continue increasing overall in Austin, as the number of homes rented drops. The average leased price of a home in Austin for June 2007 is $1364 per month, up 7.5% from $1269 in June of 2006. Average days-on-market for homes rented in June 2007 was 41 days. The median days on market was 28 [...]

5 comments Read the full article →

Austin Real Estate Market Sales Stats – June 2007 Update

July 25, 2007

Below are the June 2007 and YTD mid-year real estate sales stats for Austin and surrounding areas. These are for single family homes, condos are not included.
The most interesting thing to me on the first chart below for June sales is that the median days on market is 28 days. That means half of all [...]

4 comments Read the full article →

NY Times writes about Austin Hill Country

July 11, 2007

Austin’s Hill County sprawl was featured in this New York Times article a few days ago.
The article does a pretty good job of outlining the issues facing growth in the fragile Hill Country area west of Austin. This is near the intersection of Hwy 71 west at Bee Caves/620, and further SW toward Dripping Springs. [...]

2 comments Read the full article →

The Hall of Shame for Worst Realtor Photos

July 9, 2007

I’ve written in the past about the really bad photos that can be seen on far too many MLS listings. When I wrote this article back in September 2006, someone somehow recognized the house and sent a link to the Seller who in turn informed his agent. That agent contacted me and threw a fit [...]

6 comments Read the full article →

Hutto, Kyle among fastest-growing cities

July 9, 2007

From the Austin Business Journal today. Hutto and Kyle continue to be boom areas, though not areas we recommend to buyers/investors looking for the better appreciation found in the closer in Austin neighborhoods.
If I had to pick one of these areas for a first time buyer to consider though, I’d go with Kyle and I’d [...]

1 comment Read the full article →

Why you should register YourName.com

July 7, 2007

A Realtor friend of mine, from a city and state which shall remain unnamed, called me the other day to ask if I knew what could be done about the fact that a disgruntled party in one of his deals (not his client) had registered the dot com of his first and last name and [...]

2 comments Read the full article →

Pros and cons of owning rental houses

July 7, 2007

I came across this article today by Robert Bruss (www.RobertBruss.com). It’s a really good overview of rental property ownership. Robert Bruss writes real estate articles that are published in newspapers around the country.
A closer look at investment purchases
Friday, July 06, 2007
By Robert J. Bruss – Inman News
What is the best investment you ever made? Common [...]

3 comments Read the full article →

The Home Warranty Clause and how it works in a Real Estate Sales Contract

July 6, 2007

Some years ago, our Texas Association of Realtors Sales Contract for Homes was changed to include a fill-in-the-blank spot where the Seller can contribute a certain amount of money toward the Buyer’s purchase of a Residential Service Contract (commonly called a Home Warranty), such as those offered by American Home Shield.
The clause in the sales [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

Austin office market continues to be robust

July 6, 2007

The Austin commercial real estate market is back to where it was before our downturn began in 2001 according the the Austin Statesman article below.
Why is commercial real estate important to residential home owners and investors? Because the commercial market is a strong indicator of the residential market. Office space fills up because of job [...]

1 comment Read the full article →

← Previous Entries