Welcome to my articles page. This page will have lead-ins to real estate and related articles. If you find the lead-in interesting, you can follow a link to the actual article. If you see anything you would like to share with others, please email me.
The information within these articles will come from a variety of sources. I get bits of information from the Austin American Statesman , The Austin Business Journal , the Austin Board of REALTORS® , the National Association of REALTORS® , website forums, emails from others and my own observations. If you read about anything that you would like more information on, please contact me.
As the national housing trend shows a slow-down, Austin is just the opposite. Read more about Austin bucking national housing trend ... Written 1/29/2006
The bubble – everybody has talked about it. Is there a real estate bubble in Texas? In Austin? Read more about the Austin real estate bubble ... Written 2/7/2006
Lake Travis is a very popular place to own waterfront property. Read more about Lake Travis real estate popularity ... Written 4/9/2006
There was an article in the Austin American Statesman today about the percentage of students from each school district in the Austin area who are college bound. Read more about Austin school performance and property value ... Written 4/24/06
Austin is a pretty stable place in which to live. No, I’m not referring to the economy, but weather and geology. No I’m not a meteorologist or geologist, but I do have some observation after having lived in the area for 18 years. Read more about Is Austin Stable? ... Written June 7, 2006
Don’t let the median price of a home in the Austin area fool you. It is true that the median value of homes in the Austin area is lower than the national average. However, this can be a bit deceiving. Read more about the Austin Median Home Price ... Written June 19, 2006
As the Austin real estate market has strengthened we have been inundated with investors. A good number of them have been buying new homes in master planned communities or other developing neighborhoods. Read more about Investing in Austin Real Estate ... Written June 30, 2006
If you plan on buying a home and you plan on representing yourself, think again. Many buyers these days are very internet savvy and do a great deal of research online before contacting anyone about buying a house. However, this may not get you the deal you expect. Read more about Unrepresented Buyers Beware ... Written July 24, 2006
If you are buying a home in the Austin area, especially if it not in city limits, you may be buying a home with a septic system. About a third of homes in Texas use septic systems and they are great if you take care of them properly. But how do you know if a septic system is in good shape? Read about the importance of getting a septic inspection ... Written August 24, 2006
Have you evern known anyone whose home has been foreclosed on? Did you know that this can be avoided? A short sale may be the answer. For a home owner with a significant financial hardship who owes more than the market value of the home needs to learn about short sales. Read more about how to avoid foreclosure using a short sale ... Written September 8, 2006.
The Austin MLS is about to undergo a change. There are changes to MLS Areas and additions in terms of three new counties. Read more about the new Austin MLS map ... Written October 20, 2006.
Lake Travis is a great place for recreation and a great place to own waterfront property. One thing that anyone interested in Lake Travis real estate is that the level of the lake can fluctuate quite a bit. This is because Lake Travis both provides water for use downstream and for Austin AND Lake Travis is the primary flood control lake in the Highland Lakes chain. Read more about Lake Travis flood challenges ... Written October 30, 2006
Thinking of building? Do you know what to look for when looking for a lot? Price is probably the first thing you will look at, but what about the actual cost of building on the lot? There is much more to consider than just the cost of the land. Learn about the true cost of a lot ...
The Austin real estate market took a nose-dive in 2001. The tech "bubble" burst and that really hurt real estate values. But is the word bubble appropriate? I like the term balloon better. Read more about bubble vs. balloon ...
Water is becoming a bit more scarce in parts of Central Texas. As demand increases, the cost will increase. If you're considering buying rural real estate in Central Texas, consider collecting rainfall. Read more about harvesting rainfall in Central Texas... Written February 14, 2007.
As I have read and heard about the implosion of the subprime mortgage market seeing some huge changes, I asked my friends at Texas Lone Star Lending for their interpretation of what is going on. Steven Bray wrote a great overview. Read about what Steven calls Chicken Little meets the mortgage market... Added March 27, 2007.
The population of our country is aging and many people will buying their retirement homes over the next 10 or so years. Sellers should understand that there are things they can do to their homes to enhance the value in the eyes of elderly or aging buyers. Read about eight ways to make your house elder-friendly... Added June 19, 2007.
Here in the Austin and Central Texas area we have a lot of deer. They go from cute to unwanted as soon as they eat everything you just planted in your yard. Having deer trouble? Read nine ways to make your landscape deerprooof... Added June 29, 2007.
Central Texas has seen much more rain over the last two months than we have wanted to see. Marble Falls got around 18 inches in about a 6 hour period a week ago. As a result, Lake Travis and almost all of the other Highland Lakes have been flooding. When an event like this occurs, lakes close. This is a safety issue. Read about why you should stay off Lake Travis after a flood ... Added July 5, 2007
Lago Vista is a small city northwest of Austin. It sits on part of Lake Travis that is a bit quieter tham closer to the dam. Read eight reasons to love Lago Vista... Added August 6, 2007
Over the last 30 or so days, the media has had a field day with the current melt-down in the home mortgage industry. Are things are bad really that bad. Well, yes and no. Read more about the current lending crisis... Added August 29, 2007 |