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TexasRealtyBlog.com (TexasRealEstate.Blogs.com) has officially moved to a new domain at AustinRealEstateToday.com .
Due to rapid growth since 2006, we have moved to a fully custom site with our own domain. Please bear with us as we move images and posts while completing the Beta phase.
NOTE: TexasRealtyBlog.com will remain fully operational through 2008.
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If you own or recently purchased a lot in Austin with the intent to build more than one unit or a duplex, throw your current plans away.
A crucial City Planning Commission vote tomorrow could drop some Central Austin land values by at least 50%.
For background, the Austin City Planning Commission reviewed changes to city design standards through a task force. The Residential Development Standards Task Force first met December 2007 and briefed Austin City Council in February.
Most guidelines are well-received, but one in particular may negatively impact Austin duplexes and infill lots, especially in East and Central Austin.
By DeeinAustin™
I receive questions each week from real estate agents, small business owners and other professionals about mobile marketing tools and where they can find more information.
Mobile software is used on mobile devices such as the iPhone, BlackBerry, PDAs, and/or other cell phones and handheld devices. Some are specifically for real estate while others have more general applications.
This article lists the the top mobile real estate or business tools that stand out in today's marketplace.
Top Mobile Real Estate Tools for Home Buyers
Home buyers typically want to search for listings information from their phone. Besides listing information, some mobile sites and software provides also provide local real estate information and chat. A few top home buyer tools:
Continue reading "Tech Roundup: Top 8 Mobile Tools for Real Estate and Business Use" »
By DeeinAustin™
Quick reminder today about some great news! TexasRealtyBlog will be moving to our new site, Austin Real Estate Today BETA, next week.
The site is currently up for testing, with changes being made each day. BETA will be a soft launch, importing our past 500+ posts.
The longterm vision for Austin Real Estate Today will be realized in subsequent phases. The goal is to work with you and other audience members to create an interactive online community for hot issues, builder alerts, market updates, and discussion around key topics affecting Austin real estate.
We're Looking for Austin Real Estate Today Sponsors and Partners
Continue reading "Austin Real Estate Today Launching Next Week" »
NOTE: This article is part of the forthcoming book, the Gotcha Guide™ to Buying or Investing in Real Estate. by DeeinAustin™
I was elated to see the Home Warranty of America (HWA) announcement of their GreenPlus Program earlier this year.
GreenPlus is an upgrade to HWA's 13-month contract, which covers appliance and mechanical systems. GreenPlus makes Energy Star exchanges, replaces your water heater with a tankless version, and upgrades your heating system to 90% efficiency upon disrepair.
This is especially useful in Green cities like in Austin, where our mayor is preparing to roll out a Climate Protection Plan, requiring all Austin home owners to make green upgrades before they can sell their home.
The Dark Downside of Home Service Contracts
Continue reading "Gotcha Guide™: Green-ify Your Home Service Contract" »
By DeeinAustin™
Today's spotlight is on controversial Park Place Village, a 10-acre gated RV site for 150-175 "chronically homeless" individuals.
The 99-year ground lease for the city-owned land in East Austin was approved by council to help fight homelessness.
Opposing East Austin residents faced an uphill battle at this week's city council meeting. Reporters said hundreds of homeless Austinites and their supporters packed council chambers to ensure approval for the 3-year project. Park Place Village residents would rent the RVs and cottages for $100 to $375 a month, including electricity, water and TV services.
Three Major Reasons Why East Austin Opposed Park Place Village
By DeeinAustin™
Austin is consistently one of America's top places to live, causing demand for housing to remain steady in most areas of the city.
As the Greater Austin metro area grows, we face rising home prices. Austin and other Texas cities are among the few in the nation to continue to appreciate while we face a recession.
We face tough questions every day. Their answer will affect our children and future generations.
Top Housing Issues in Austin
1. How can we create walkable, sustainable communities as the population increases?
2. How far should we take density if we want to remain livable?
3. How can we keep our city affordable, not just for low income wage earners, but for the working class, students, artists, musicians and young professionals.
What is affordable Austin real estate? An "affordable" home in Austin is about $160-180k with payments around $1300 to $1500 per month. This can get you a 3 bed, 2 bath, 1200-1700 square-foot home with a 2-car garage.
Continue reading "Is Affordable Austin Real Estate Just a Pipe Dream?" »
By DeeinAustin™
Empty Nesters are moving to cities like Austin and Las Vegas in droves, keeping the local economy afloat in during the current recession while growing housing demand.
Empty Nesters are couples whose children no longer live at home. They're often members of the Baby Boomer generation, between 55 and 64 years of age. Baby Boomers have made huge impacts on health care and real estate due to the fact that there's going to be about 78 Million of them.
Both Empty Nesters and Boomers are mobile and unafraid of change. In their lifetimes, they experienced America sending a man to the moon, the advent of the television and internet, and huge swings in retirement planning.
Top Three Reasons Why Empty Nesters and Baby Boomers are Hot for Austin Real Estate
By DeeinAustin™
This week's spotlight focuses on the $85M mixed-use project breaking ground in Northwest Austin.
The Villagio will be located at RR 620 between US Hwy 183
and TX Hwy 71 minutes from Lake Travis. This project is sizable, with 29 acres of retail, office and luxury residences, all with an Italian style.
• 117,310 SF Retail/Restaurant space
• 31,800 SF Professional Office space
• 300 Apartments and a 5-acre lake
Who will live, work and shop at the Villagio Austin?
Continue reading "Spotlight: $85M 'Villagio' Brings Mixed-Use Luxury to Northwest Austin" »
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