All Blog Entries by Crystal Olenbush

Snow is a rare event for Central Texas, but the Austin area recently had some of the best snow we have seen in years.  This last Tuesday the snow started to fall in the morning and by the end of the day some areas had up to two inches of snow on the ground.  The northwest side of Austin saw the most accumulation.  Here are some pictures:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to the Texas Workforce Commission, unemployment levels within the Austin and Round Rock area fell by 6.9% in November. While this is still up from the 4.9% rate that the area was experiencing just one year ago, it does represent a decline in unemployment when compared to the previous month.

Previous data indicated that the unemployment rate in the Austin and Round Rock area was 7.2% in October. Compared to the state average of 7.9%, the Austin and Round Rock area is doing quite well with its 6.9% rate. This pattern remains true to the rates from the previous month, with the statewide unemployment rates being at 8.1% in October compared to the 7.2% rate of the Austin and Round Rock area. Similarly, the state had a 5.4% unemployment rate one month

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When you purchase a home, your Realtor will likely use a number of terms that you are not entirely familiar with.  While your Realtor should be happy to explain these terms to you, it helps if you have a good idea of what they mean before you start the home buying process.  Here are just a few terms you should know!

•    Certificate of title – A document demonstrating legal proof of ownership
•    Chattels – Personal property, of which there are two types.  The first type are real chattels, which are fixtures and buildings.  The other type are personal chattels, which are furniture, clothes, and other similar items.
•    Contract of sale – A written agreement that establishes the terms and conditions associated with the sell of property.
•    Covenant – The…

Cantera Real Estate Team member James Brinkman is an active member of North Hills Community Church and has traveled to Haiti on missionary trips in the past year. He has been planning a return trip to the country and was set to leave again next week. James was interviewed on KEYE-CBS News today about the situation in Haiti.

Here is a link to the video and text: http://weareaustin.com/content/news/story/?cid=45691

And you can donate here: http://www.rminet.org/

Text from the Keye news story:

Central Texans want to get involved to help Haitians affected by the massive earthquake that struck the country Tuesday.

"We do various projects there," said James Brinkman, a member of North Hills Community Church in Northwest Austin, speaking of his

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Austin and Central Texas are at the top of many lists in terms of educational attainment, quality of life, low crime rates, economic growth potential and many other areas. Here's a look at a few of the honors that Austin and the Central Texas area have received over the past year:

• Austin was ranked number one by the Milken Institute for creating jobs, with the Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood MSA ranking second.
• Austin was ranked #2 out of 100 metro areas for employment potential and for having the highest metropolitan growth potential (MGP) by Business Week and The Brookings Institute.
• Austin was ranked #9 by CNN-Money as being one of the best places to start a business
• Portfolio.com ranked Austin as #1 out of the 100 largest cities for job creation

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The financial experts at Freddie Mac have reported that mortgage rates have moved higher for the second week in a row. According to the report, a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage loan averaged a rate of 4.94% during the week ending on December 14, which is up from the previous week's 4.81%. This figure is still down when compared to the rate from one year ago, however, which averaged 5.19% at the time. When it comes to one-year, adjustable-rate mortgages, the rates increased to 4.34% for the week ending on December 14, which is an increase from the 4.24% rate from the previous week.

Although homebuyers certainly don't want to see the mortgage rate go up, the fact that the rates are increasing is a sign that the economy is moving in a positive direction. At the…

Modern & Sophisticated Travis Heights urban detached condo Home on Big Stacy Park! This new construction home has 250sf of covered patio in back, plus a 200sf balcony w/ tigerwood decking & gas grill connection!  Fantastic penthouse-style floor plan with Living/Kitchen/Dining/Master upstairs - office & guest suite downstairs. The home was also designed so that an elevator can be added if you desire.  The property has dramatic, oversized windows, elegant stained-concrete, indoor rock garden & fountain, strand-woven bamboo floors, high-end fixtures & hardware, and exposed grain custom bamboo cabinets in kitchen & baths.

Only $549,000 - Call Jim Olenbush for a showing 512-825-5712!

 Only $549,000 - Call Jim Olenbush for a showing

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The Wall Street Journal recently conducted a poll to find out where young people are the most likely to go once the economic recovery takes place - and Austin managed to land in the number five position.

To determine its rankings, the Journal called upon the expertise of a wide range of professionals, including economists and demographers. The experts were asked to determine which areas would be the most attractive to young professionals based on a number of factors. While Austin faired well in terms of unemployment as well as its median household income, the capital city didn't compare quite as well as the other cities on the top ten list when it came to education. In fact, only 41.8% of Austin's residents between the ages of 25 and 35 hold a bachelor's…

According to Mark Dotzour, who is the director of Texas A&M University's Real Estate Center, it looks as if the state of Texas may have reached the bottom of its housing market a few months back. As such, he is ready to proclaim the inventory of homes through Texas - both unsold new homes and existing homes - are in a promising position.

“I feel now is the time to buy a house in most Texas cities,” said Dotzour through RECON, which is the center’s online newsletter “Housing affordability has never been higher, and I never thought I would see 5 percent mortgages in my lifetime. If you plan to live in the house for at least two or three years, now is the time to buy.”

Dotzour isn't the only one who sees a positive upswing in the economy's future. In fact,

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News just in from the Texas Real Estate Center – A total of 19,347 existing single-family homes were sold in Texas last month, a 15 percent increase from October 2008, according to MLS data compiled by the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University.

The median price rose 1 percent to $143,300 during the same period, and the state finished the month with a 6.9-month inventory of existing homes.

Here is how select Texas cities fared in October (data current as of Nov. 24, 2009):

	Sales	Change from Last Year	Median Price	Change from Last Year	Months' Inventory

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