Posts Tagged ‘Austin’

Austin, Texas America?s Second Fastest Selling Real Estate Market


2009
12.08

 

Zip code 78749 in Southwest Austin is one of the few places in the United States where the real estate market is robust and booming. Recently ranked second in a Business Week magazine study on the fastest selling US zip codes, homes in this high-end neighborhood were second to only Sunnyvale, California.

Austin real estate brokers are positive about the implications such market behavior will have on Austin, TX real estate, especially for sellers. Interviewed by Business Week magazine Jay Carter, a veteran realtor with Living in Austin says, “This truly is one area of the Austin Real Estate market where sellers are still in control.”

Real estate in Texas has definitely been looking up as zip codes like Houston, Plano and economically forward areas like Portland and Oregon have been drawing homebuyers and sellers in numbers. Nonetheless, Austin real estate agents have revealed that the 78749 zip code is as exclusive as it can get in terms of prime real estate in Texas.

Where prices are concerned, the superior condition of the homes in such an elegant neighborhood commands enormous potential for profit for the seller. The high standard of the homes in this locality speak for themselves and realtors like Jay Carter cannot be any happier.

Similarly, for a buyer interested in prime Real Estate in Austin, Jay thinks the location is ideal. A recognized realtor in the Austin real estate business, Jay explains, “It’s a high-end neighborhood surrounded by scenic hills, but it’s just a 5- or 10-minute drive to downtown.” The price you pay for real estate in Austin is the price you pay for exclusivity, convenience and aesthetically pleasing environs.

Austin Texas Apartment Prices Drop for Fall!!


2009
09.10

Summer is finally over and Apartment communities that maintained 90-100% occupancy levels throughout the summer have now been bombarded with new fall and winter time notices to vacate. Apartment communities pre-lease apartments based on their notices to vacate which are usually given 60-90 days out from the resident’s move date or lease end date.

Most long term tenants are being pushed out of their apartments with rental increases up to $200. Many of my clients recently call me discouraged stating that they have been a perfect resident for 5 years or more and dont understand why their aparmtent community is so anxious to “stick it to them” when it comes time to renew their leases.

The first question I ask them is how much they are paying currentlly ie; a client we’ll call Leslie that I am helping move currently. Leslie told me that she is paying $625 for a 740sf apartment in a community she has lived at for 5 years and is only 7 years old, and they want to raise her rent to $725. The first thing I told her was that the community wanted to raise her rent $100 due to the fact that since she leased there 5 yrs ago the market had completely changed. Unfortunately the only people that view long term occupants at an apartment community as an asset are the occupants themselves.

Austin Real Estate Market Steady


2009
08.27

After a rather neutral start in 2008, the real estate market for residential homes in Austin has increased its inventory of homes for sale, according to statistics from the Austin MLS. This is happening despite a continuation of one of the highest metropolitan growth rates in the country and a strong and growing local economy.

According to different Austin real estate agents, bad economic news from other parts of the country are causing prospective buyers to hold off as they wait and see what the economy might do. Some of them may be hoping that prices will fall even more before they buy, even though buying prospects are strong right now. Current mortgage rates are the lowest they have been in 35 years. The last time rates were this low during a buyer’s market was in 1973.

This wait-and-see approach has caused a slight drop in prices in some areas, but most area properties are holding steady in value. The market is slow right now, but is not depressed like it is in some other areas of the country.

Statistics from the U.S. Census bureau and compiled by the Texas A&M Real Estate Center and published on July 3 this year in the Texas Real Estate Market Reports show that the population in the Austin/Round Rock metropolitan area has increased by about 43% since 1997. Almost 1,600,000 people now live in the area. The city of Austin expects this growth trend to continue as far ahead as 2020, according to the report.

Austin Real Estate Market Summary for 2008 and Forecast for 2009


2009
08.12

While Austin has continued to have one of the best real estate markets in the country, we will finish the year with lower sales activity, higher unemployment and real estate inventory levels, lower rents, and a deteriorating economy. Real estate sales are trending down, even with near 50 year low mortgage rates. Rents are following the same pattern.

Consumer confidence is very low. Consumers are holding cash and focusing on their immediate needs. This has impacted every industry. Though credit is harder to obtain, it is not the driving factor for the reduction in consumer spending. It is consumer confidence. Even if car dealerships are offering huge discounts and zero percent interest, consumers are keeping their existing cars and not going into debt for a car they don’t absolutely need.

We are seeing the same trends in the real estate market. Tenants are staying put and renewing their leases; homeowners are delaying home purchases on fear of job loss or price erosion in the real estate market; and it is getting harder to qualify for a mortgage as Fannie Mae changes its guidelines. For example, a borrower now must have a 740 fico score to obtain the best mortgage interest rate, assuming they have the down payment and reserves for a conventional loan.

For the past two years, we have consistently raised rents. This trend continued until the financial crisis hit us this fall. Many homeowners are not able to sell their homes at a desired price point and are forced to lease their homes and become landlords. Inventory of rental homes is at an all time high in Cedar Park/Leander and Round Rock areas.

Austin Real Estate Broker


2009
08.06

If you’re hunting for real estate in Austin, Texas, it can be important to employ the talents of an Austin real estate broker. Why? Simple. The business of buying and selling real estate is complicated and fraught with potential pitfalls. When you work with a broker, you’ll have a trained professional at your side from start to finish, allowing you to work with confidence and feel comfortable knowing that you’re getting the right information and the right deal.

Once your Austin real estate broker has helped you locate the right place to put down roots, you’re sure to discover that Austin is a uniquely Texan city that welcomes a wide variety of people and lifestyles. The known history of Austin began with the habitation of the area by nomadic Native American tribes – most notably the Comanches and Apaches. In the mid-1830s, a settler forged the town of Waterloo out of the landscape. This humble town played host to Mirabeau Lamar, the vice president of Texas, in 1938. Fortuitously, Lamar soon became president of Texas – and was involved in the search for a site for the new state capital (which, even without a location, had been named Austin). Waterloo was duly investigated for suitability, then chosen to become the capital city. A team of 200 men from Houston was immediately dispatched to turn the town into a city.


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