Don’t forget that there is more to vote for this year than a president! Politics aside, Texans over 65 years of age could use your support.

In the May election, there will be an amendment for your ballot to correct an error made previously in 2005 when property taxes were reduced by 1/3 for the 2006 and 2007 tax years (don’t forget, property values went up city-wide, so net taxes often went up). Don’t blame this on the elderly, who are the victims of the error attached to this bill.

The State caps property taxes for those who are age 65 or older, or who are disabled. They did not receive the same reduction that the rest of us received when the tax cut for schools passed in 2005.

Early voting will take place April 30 - May 5 from 7 am to 7 pm;
May 6 from noon to 6 pm and May 7 - May 8 from 7 am to 7 pm.

Tags: austin, austin real estate, estates, financial planing, homestead exemption, housing, info, money, planning, responsibility, retirement, savings, tax, voting by Aria
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AUSTIN’S REAL ESTATE MARKET UPDATE

My last post was on the 11th, where have I been? Busy, busy, busy. All of a sudden earlier this month, the phones started ringing again and emails where flying in faster than I could answer them. It sounds like the word is out that now is indeed a good time to buy. Offers are coming in to sellers and although they are still lower than expected, sellers aren’t feeling the desperation from November, December and January. Things are looking up.

If you are looking to buy, you still have a great chance. Just don’t insult sellers with unreasonable offers because showing activity is way up. Leave negotiating to the professionals. Listen to your Realtor’s advice in times like these because the little things are still important.

If you are looking to sell, get your house ready! Search this blog as well as the headlines section for tips on how to get your house ready and consult with a professional. This spring should bring plenty of activity, but you still want your house to WOW buyers with the still overwhelming inventory still available. You can sell in this market, but you still can’t expect to have buyers knocking down your door unless your house stands above the rest.

As always, if you would like any more information, that is my job! Feel free to call me at (512) 771-1776 or email.

Keeping you up to date,

Aria Schoenfelt McIntosh
liveaustinrealestate.com

Tags: austin, austin real estate, hot market, housing, living, market, money, planning, real estate, realtor, sales, seller by Aria
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 So what was the real story with Austin’s Real Estate Market?  Is the bottom really going to fall out?  And why hasn’t it yet?  I feel like a broken record sometimes, but the falling prices we keep hearing about on the news are in totally different markets in the east and west coasts.  In these areas, prices flew up by 200, 400, and even 600%.  So it’s really no surprise that home prices have fallen in these markets.  Here in Austin, we’ve stayed smart as always.  Prices consistently rise, on average, 4-6% each year.  What we’re seeing in Austin right now is a slow-down, and after the huge boom we saw that peaked in 2006, it really shouldn’t be a surprise.  Prices were still climbing steadily in this period, but there were many, many more new homes built to meet a rising demand, and do-it-yourself HDTV fans flocked to invest in their own “flip” projects.  At some point in early 2007, supply met demand, but some were still creating supply.  And projects begun late in 2006 still had to be finished before being placed on the market.  Some areas of Austin saw this more than others, and in particular, Central Austin, East Austin, and South Austin saw the biggest booms.  Suburbs saw more production, but not on the scale of these urban areas of Austin.  Now, we’re waiting for demand to catch up with supply.  We are currently in a buyer’s market, but not on the gloom and doom scale of other parts of the country (or even Austin in previous recessions).  If I was thinking of buying a home, I would buy now while deals are good, sellers are willing to negotiate, and the market has some catching up to do.  If I were a seller in this market, I would be ready to be patient, and prep my house to it’s absolute peak, hiring professionals to make sure that everything is at it’s absolute best — the best way to ensure that when a house does sell in your neighborhood, it’s yours.

 I am still confident that there is no reason to panic.  Austin has grown to the point that it can withstand most anything you can throw at it.  We have many, many different industries to sustain us.  There are advantages to out-growing the medium-city way of life and I believe we are seeing it now.  New construction has slowed but is still strong.  The best builders out there will survive and others will move to a different industry.  This is a strong city now!

Keeping you up-to-date,

Aria Schoenfelt McIntosh
http://liveaustinrealestate.com
(512) 771-1776

Tags: austin, austin real estate, building, development, facts, financial planing, hot market, housing, living, market, money, planning, real estate, realtor, sales, savings, statistics by Aria
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Austin is a very educated city with a huge internet presence.  Connect with your neighborhood online!  If your neighborhood has a website that is not listed here, please let me know.

Austin’s Neighborhood Links:

• Allandale Reporter
• Balcones Civic Association
• Balcones Greens Homeowner’s Association
• Barton Hills Neighborhood Association
• Barton Hills Residents Directory
• Brentwood Neighborhood Association
• Bryker Woods Neighborhood Association
• Building Creek Neighborhood
• Cat Mountain Villas Home Owner’s Association
• Cherrywood Neighborhood Association
• Davenport Ranch Porch Home Association
• Delwood II Neighborhood Association
• Downtown Neighborhood Association
• Estates of Shady Hollow Neighborhood Association
• Great Hills Homeowner’s Association
• Hancock Neighborhood Association
• Highland Park West Balcones Area Neighborhood Association
• Highland Neighborhood Association
• Hyde Park Neighborhood Association
• Lakeway Civic Connection
• Long Canyon Homeowner’s Association
• Lost Creek Neighborhood Association
• Mesa Park Neighborhood Association
• Milwood Neighborhood Association
• North Shoal Creek Neighborhood Association
• North University Neighborhood Association
• Oakmont Neighborhood Association
• Old West Austin Historic District
• Old West Austin Neighborhood Association
• River Oaks Neighborhood Association
• Rosedale Neighborhood Association
• Rosewood Neighborhood Contact Team
• Skyview Neighborhood Association
• South Lamar Neighborhood Association
• Wilshire Wood / Delwood One Neighborhood Association
• Windsor Park Neighborhood Association
• Zilker Neighborhood Association

Aria Schoenfelt McIntosh
liveaustinrealestate.com

Tags: Uncategorized by Aria
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This Thursday, February 7th, a Milago Condominiums Open House is scheduled.  There will be wine and exotic cheese available to guests touring 10 Milago units currently on the market in Milago.

When:  Thursday, Feb 7th 4-6 pm

Where: 54 Rainy Street, Milago Condominiums

Check in at the front desk for a list of condos on the tour.

RSVP to michelle@bridgeoneproperties.com

www.milago1220.com 

Tags: Uncategorized by Aria
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Recently, my blog and headlines sections have been moved and updated.  Many new features are still in the works, all with the goal of offering you more.  With the move, I had new RSS feeds:

Blog RSS

Headlines RSS 

Tags: Uncategorized by Aria
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