The Austin City Council recently amended the Restricted Parking Area Map for Austin neighborhoods.  On May 5th, these neighborhoods were added to the Restricted Parking Area Map

…which prohibits the parking of motorized vehicles in the front yard and side yard of single-family residences, except in a driveway or paved parking space.

So if you live in these neighborhoods you can now be ticketed for parking outside of a parking area.

Neighborhood Associations and
Planning Areas Already Listed on the
Restricted Parking Area Map
As of May 25, 2008

• Allandale NA
• Balcones Civic Association
• Balcones Village/Spicewood HA
• Balcones Woods NA
• Barton Hills NA
• Brentwood NPA
• Castlewood-Oak Valley NA
• Cavalier Park NA
• Cedar Valley NA
• Central Austin Combined Neighborhoods
• (CANPAC)
• Champions Forest NA
• Cherry Creek on Brodie Lane NA
• Cherry Creek SW NA
• Cherrywood NA
• Colony Park NA
• Coronado Hills NA
• Courtyard HOA Inc.
• Deer Park at Maple Run HOA
• Dove Springs NA
• East Congress NPA
• East Riverside-Oltorf Combined NPA
• Gracywoods NA
• Hancock NPA
• Harris Branch PUD
• Heritage Hills NA
• Heritage Hills/Woodbridge NA
• Highland NPA
• Hyde Park NA
• Indian Oaks NA
• Lamplight Village Area NA
• Laurel Oaks NA
• LBJ NA
• Legend Oaks NA
• Martin Luther King Jr. NA
• McKinley Heights NA
• Mesa Park NA
• Mockingbird Hill NA
• North Acres HA
• North Austin Civic Ass
• North Park Estates NA
• North Shoal Creek NA
• North University NA
• Northwest Austin Civic Assoc
• Northwood NA
• Old Enfield HOA
• Palmer/Avery Island NA
• Pecan Springs/Springdale NA
• River Oaks NA
• Rosedale NA
• South Boggy Creek NA
• South Lamar NA
• South River City Citizens Assoc
• South River City NPA
• Southwest Oaks-Shiloh NA
• Spicewood at Bullcreek HA
• Spicewood Estates HOA
• St. Edwards NPA
• St. John NA
• Summit Oaks II NA
• Summit Oaks NA
• Sweetbriar NA
• Tanglewood Forest NA
• Texas Oaks South NA
• Truman Heights NA
• University Hills NA
• Walnut Creek NA
• Walnut Crossing NA
• West Austin Neighborhood Group
• West Congress NPA
• West University NA
• Westcreek NA
• Westview Canyon HOA
• Windsor Hills NA
• Wooten NA

Fines:

• 1st Offense: $40.00 fine that can be reduced to $20.00 if paid early
• 2nd Offense within 24 months: $50.00
• 3rd Offense within 24 months: $60.00

Links:

• Restricted Parking Area Information
  
• Front Yard Parking Application (PDF)

City Contacts:

• Joe Mayor, (512) 974-3440 joe.manor@ci.austin.tx.us
• Kathleen Fox, (512) 974-7877 kathleen.fox@ci.austin.tx.us

Tags: Zoning & Planning, austin, real estate by Aria
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I’ve had an influx of emails from other local Realtors® lately asking why I use one service or another. First of all, I’m a very frugal person. Stay tuned for Monday’s post for more on that topic. I search high and low for the best resources to use on my site that will provide you, the visitor, with information that will aid you in your quest for understanding our market and finding not only the perfect property, but also the perfect deal.

I find that many real estate agents spend more time worrying about their PageRank and keywords than they do about aiding buyers and sellers in real estate transactions. No matter what business you’re in, don’t let Google take over. After all, the Google code of conduct is simply “Don’t be Evil.” Google may not be evil. After all, the corporate mission statement is “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” But not everyone plays by the rules, and certainly not everyone conducts business in an ethical way. And Google knows this, which is why the complex algorithms that Google employs are constantly updated and tweeked. The best site is not always the site with the best financial backing or the one that hired a firm for their Google placement.  In fact, most firms that claim to be able to improve your PageRank can’t and really have no intention of doing so.  Even those who are valid companies can only improve your rankings if you have a legitimate site, right?  It’s supposed to all be about content and often it is.  Corporations are learning how to trick Google in order to be placed higher in search results while Google in turn works to improve algorithms to compete these tricks.  It’s a constant battle, and the deeper into bed a company gets with Google, the less (I would guess) that Google would care even though that is a tad evil.  But they are, indeed, first and foremost, a mass-advertising company.  Spend a ton of money with Google and viola, better results for less work (albeit more money).  The image credit for the photo in this paragraph goes to Future Now.

So how does this relate to the emails I receive from other agents and the third-party services on my website?  Real estate is a maliciously competitive industry, especially in these times when agents need to actually work their asses off to make a buck.  Many agents spend countless hours optimizing their sites for Google and many spend thousands of dollars on services promising to do this for them.  The key to high placement in Google appears to be a great combination of keyword-dense articles and links pointing to the site, but Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, cannot be learned in one day and techniques are dynamically changing constantly.

Although this site officially launched as LiveAustinRealEstate.com early this past May, it is already climbing in popularity and Google, as well as my competition, as taken notice.  I have a large amount of agent traffic coming from various agent resource sites that I am active with.  Everyone likes to see what is on other agents’ websites to get ideas for how to improve on their own (naturally).

Here’s where Trulia comes in.  I use Trulia for both the resources on their website as well as for features on my own website.  First of all, Trulia provides me with listing RSS feeds which even our own national, state, and local board of Realtors® won’t do.  I’d love to feature listings from austinhomesearch.com or realtor.com, but the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) is stingy and won’t provide me with this tool.  Using Trulia’s RSS feed sends them traffic and creates links to their site from mine, thus boosting their apparent usefulness and popularity with Google and ranking them higher among your search results.  In addition to Trulia’s RSS feeds, I also use a free widget that displays a graph of home sales.  Although their statistics aren’t as accurate as those from NAR, the Austin Board of Realtors® (ABOR), or Texas A&M, these organizations do not provide me with a quick and easy way to get you, the consumer, the information.  I have a new system in the works, but have been unable to complete the project because my first priority in my business is my clients.  I have some incredible (but challenging) listings right now that need all the exposure that I can get them and I have buyers with some challenging goals and needs.

In addition to the services on my site, Trulia’s strategic methods to place high in a Google search make me want to promote my listings with them.  In fact, all of my listings are featured with Trulia among many other services.  They do a great job of helping me insure that my listings are found by buyers searching in Google and other search engines.

Like Trulia, RealBird has tools that help me run my business effectively and efficiently.  It saves me time by again, providing me with an RSS feed of my listings as well as great listing websites that I can create quickly and efficiently.  These tools allow me to spend my time with more activities, such as promoting my listings and their websites through various other services, my own website, and through my network.  To see what these site look like, visit my 2012 Cueva de Oro, Austin, Tx  78746 listing site.  Their templates are far superior to other sites and aside from that, they don’t charge me an arm and a leg for this service.  I receive so many solicitations for the “best” service out there for Realtors® you wouldn’t believe it.  They all just want a piece of my pocket, and like I said earlier, I’m frugal and spend each penny carefully.  I want the best return for my dollar because it’s the best return for my clients as well.

In addition to the RSS feeds and listing websites, RealBird offers several widgets and services.  One that I use is their map view of my listings.  I find this extremely useful for my website because it provides a quick overview of what I have to offer the consumer and they can quickly link to more information about these properties via my listing websites.

And there are others, like the Altos Research graph at the top of the sidebar, but Trulia and RealBird are the ones I am most frequently asked about.

Agents ask me why I link back to these services without using a “nofollow” tag.  I feel it is ethical to link back to a website providing me and my consumers with a service.  Sure, it may give them a higher Google ranking, but I feel they’ve earned it.  I’ve been working on some widgets myself, and you’d better believe that they will link back to my site for the work I put into coding them!  So many people feel that they should have something for nothing; a mentality that I believe is encouraged by the vast amount of free information to be gained on the internet.  I may be stubborn, but I’m sticking to my principles on this one.  If a site deserves it, I believe that it will have a consistent ranking earned through organic means.  Some site may be at the top now, but they won’t necessarily sustain that placement.  You have to earn your placement as well as the right to stay there.

And if I ever use anything of value from you or your website, you will get proper credit!

In my business I put my clients and prospective clients first.  That means marketing properties and delivering pertinent and useful information first.  I firmly believe that this mentality is what has me climbing the Google ladder and that it will keep me there as long as I work as hard as I do to keep my priorities in aliment with my future success.

My business is still referral-based and I plan on keeping it that way. When my business becomes Google-based, I’m letting Google run my business.  Google doesn’t know Austin Real Estate, just where to find information about it.  They don’t do the real work in my business I do.  It’s still about the services I provide, which includes but is not limited to optimizing listings for search engine placement.

Further Reading
Google, stop lying to us

Now have a great weekend!

Tags: aria, austin real estate, facts, info, real estate, technology, web 2.0 by Aria
3 Comments »

Renters have a different view of real estate economy than homeowners.

Source: PEW Research Center

It seems that renters are much more pessimistic about rising home prices. I’m not sure of the participants in this study were planning on buying a home in the near future, but this study does show something interesting about how you see the market when you own property versus when your at the mercy of a landlord.

More renters believe home prices are rising.

Are they pessimistic about their buying power? They may be feeling left out of the prosperity homeowners found during the boom years leading up to our current conditions.

Renters aren’t worried about the housing economy.

Renters expect prices to climb more than homeowners do. So why aren’t they buying? First-time home-buyers are seeing harder times with mortgage woes. It takes some patience and hard work to get a home loan, and perhaps renters aren’t willing to go through with it.

Americans are not optimistic about the economy.

Source: PEW Research Center

Yet this study is extremely interesting. We saw some of the greatest appreciations in Austin real estate in 2006. Many people sold out to collect their equity while late-comers created a building and flipping surge, especially in central Austin real estate. 2007 was much slower than 2006, especially in the last two quarters. Yet, the number of those who believe the economy is in poor shape has not increased as dramatically as I would expect. I think this shows how pessimistic people are about the economy anyway. We live in a fairly prosperous country and Austin has a steady growth rate which leads to steady real estate prices, yet I would expect similar numbers on a local study based on the fears and questions I receive.

Is this thing on?

I still wonder if anyone can actually hear me. Don’t be afraid to buy. We are currently in a RARE buyer’s market here in the Austin real estate market and at the same time, interest rates are at HISTORIC lows. I’m shopping for real estate in Austin now so don’t blame me if you don’t get in on this buyer’s market! Get your head out of that national news paper, turn off CNN, and get real. We’ve seen studies showing that people think the bottom is falling out of the American economy for years and it hasn’t. In fact, the primary reason for the housing slowdown and the buyer’s market here in Austin is the attitudes of people, not actual economic fact. Now that sellers are getting real, take a chance and think about investing in Austin’s real estate market. I’ll show you how!

Tags: austin real estate, buyers, development, economy, finance, hot market, housing, market, market statistics, money, mortgage, real estate, statistics by Aria
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For those of you interested in the project at 4113 Avenue G in Hyde Park, Austin, Texas, the plans are available publicly:

http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/agenda/2008/downloads/d3nrd20080088.pdf

It is my opinion that objecting to this project based only on the fact that an old house that is being removed (probably torn down, possibly moved) and being replaced by a new house is against the plans for growth that keep our local economy in Austin healthy. While there are many projects in Hyde Park that don’t conform with many people’s ideas of what is appropriate in Hyde Park, we must also remember that it is a high-density, urban neighborhood now. That comes with thousands and thousands of opinionated people. One may hate a particular house and another may think that it’s the most beautiful in the neighborhood. Many love all the old bungalows complete with all their aging, others find them small and in need of a fresh coat of paint and a update to accommodate the modern family.

I am one of the few outspoken Hyde Park residents for progress. A 700 square foot bungalow that has been recovered in asbestos and needs new electrical, plumbing, and many other repairs is not an asset to the neighborhood in my opinion. When these properties are going for $300,000+, who wants to spend that kind of hard-earned money to live in a cramped home with no closet space? If you want to protect your investment in Hyde Park, I believe in supporting managed progress. Well-kept historic homes should stay, but many, especially in northern Hyde Park, are essentially crumbling track-homes. I think the neighborhood deserves to be taken care of, and that includes removing houses that have not been maintained.

We have great systems in place through the design guidelines and the Historic Preservation committees and groups. We cannot object every time someone wants to add on some much-needed space to a cramped home. And hasn’t anyone noticed that new builds have slowed dramatically? That’s because land values have gotten so high that it doesn’t make any sense to build at today’s prices. New homes can easily get up to $1,000,000. And although I think that some blocks of Hyde Park support these prices, they are few, far between, and lined with historic mansions.

When you object to any and all change, it creates a great deal of conflict. I see that conflict every day in the Hyde Park N. A. Yahoo! group and in neighbors who know that I am a resource to ask on where to go and what to do next. I’ve seen neighbors attach 50-year-residents of Hyde Park for adding on to their homes while the aggressors went home to crumbling eyesores. It’s all a matter of opinions, and like my Kindergarten teacher once told me, you have to learn respect other people’s opinions and feelings. And anyone with a Psych 101 education can tell you that aggressively approaching someone will put them on the defensive and will not get the results you are looking for.

Also, I wanted to remind everyone that the Hyde Park Neighborhood Association is a ‘Neighborhood Association’ and not a ‘Home Owner’s Association’. The difference is, a Neighborhood Association is not mandatory and can not pass and mandatory rules. The HPNA has drafted and sucessfully pushed legislation in the interest of the neighborhood, but you need only the City’s approval for any plans on your Hyde Park property. The City will approve or deny based on all local laws and codes, including some which affect Hyde Park alone.

I encourage comments and I’m sure I’ve struck a few buttons.

Tags: austin, building, development, economy, real estate by Aria
2 Comments »

This Memorial Day will be a sales tax Holiday for energy efficient products. Think of the back-to-school tax free weekend only for your home.

Austin real estate is going to keep getting better with green choices.  “Going Green” means making environmentally conscious purchases when you need to purchase something.  Buying something because it’s green is counter-productive.

“If you’ve been thinking about finally buying those energy efficient light
bulbs, purchasing a programmable thermostat, or actually replacing the
refrigerator, dishwasher or air conditioner with a cleaner more efficient
one, memorial day weekend is the time to do it. You’ll save money, while helping to reduce energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions,” noted Lone Star Chapter Conservation Director Cyrus Reed.

But are there any downfalls? For instance, what happens to all of the old appliances when they are replaced? This ECO-Consumerism drives me nuts sometimes. While I appreciate what this piece of legislation is trying to do, I can’t see throwing out so many appliances that work for shiny new ones. How is this in the spirit of “going green”?

I say if you have an appliance that you were thinking of replacing anyway, use this tax holiday to save yourself some money while supporting the environment by making an eco-conscious choice on something you were going to purchase anyway. Don’t throw that 4-year-old dishwasher in the landfill for the upgraded model, but do replace that 30-year-old A/C unit that’s on the fritz.

Stock up on light bulbs for when your current ones burn out. If you’re going to replace working bulbs, do it only in rooms you have lit very often, perhaps your family room or study. Why toss out all of those perfectly good bulbs from the bathroom that you zip in and out of?

If you don’t have a programmable thermostat, I say go for one. I’ll make an exception here because they save so much energy!

Take advantage of this city incentive if you have been waiting to stock up on bulbs or replace a dying appliance, but remember to recycle your old appliances whenever possible and don’t bother with upgrades that don’t make sense!

And check out this link on eco-consumerism. Monbiot has expressed my concerns beautifully!

Tags: austin, carbon footprint, economy, energy star, environment, green, green energy, hot market, housing, nature conservancy, real estate by Aria
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Image credit: USA Today via Transparent Real Estate

Real Estate is an industry with local markets, but as a follow-up to my last post, “Austin Real Estate & The Austin Economy,” I thought I’d share a few more bits of information illustrating how Austin compares to the rest of Texas as well as the rest of the nation in this changing market. This graphic by USA Today should (of course) be taken with a grain of salt. For example, I find it surprising the Oklahoma is listed as expanding after losing GM. I do, however, think that this graphic is a strong illustration of what I keep coming back to in my blog posts about the economy and Austin’s real estate market. You can see California is completely off the charts followed by Florida, Nevada, and Arizona (Michigan has other factors as play). These are the markets I keep referring to in post after post after post. A lot of people made a LOT of money in these markets in the past 10 years during the boom in the warm coastal areas and now a lot of people are LOSING a lot of money because the boom as busted.

Texas (and more specifically, Austin) has remained strong with a steady growth rate of 2-4% during this decade. While some areas are in danger locally, the state as a whole is strong and Austin makes the top 3-5 of healthy market lists.

So what’s all the fuss about? When some markets are in trouble, the news is spread nation-wide. The media are big business — never forget that! They make money if they can get you glued to TV news channels, newspapers, and news websites. They’re feeding you what you need to hear to tune in daily. So please, when you would like to be an educated consumer about Austin’s real estate market, keep it local and keep with the facts. I’m not against media entirely, I do think they have their place. But a truly educated consumer will check data and statistics to supplement their daily regiment of news.

Now stay tuned because in 30 minutes, after sports, weather, and entertainment news, we’ll let you know why this cute puppy could be in mortal danger.

… Just kidding.

The puppy is as safe as your real estate investments in Austin.

Tags: austin, economy, real estate by Aria
2 Comments »

Some months it’s hard to even make the basic mortgage payment, but smart homeowners are learning that paying even just a bit of extra principal each month can lead to big rewards.

In a recent Scott Burns Commentary, a reader wrote in for advice on a loan he had already been paying down for three years, saving 17 years of interest payments. Yes, it actually works! Check out The Motley Fool for calculators that can help you with your plans.

Don’t give up! This is the advice Mr. Burns gives his reader. Continue paying down that mortgage, and you will have more money for paying off other debts and your retirement later.

Your monthly payment isn’t set in stone. Even paying an additional $100 per month can greatly reduce the interest you spend and how long you have to make those monthly payments.

Good luck!

Tags: finance, money, mortgage, planning, princical, real estate, retirement by Aria
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