New information from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) show that the U.S. housing market may be reaching bottom and parts of the country on the way up.The NAR index, which tracks contracts to purchase resale homes, shows a rebound in numbers from November to December and also showed an increase in the yearly results.The index, adusted for seasonality, showed that the pending sales index for resale homes rose 6.3% in December to 87.7 from November's reading of 82.5, the lowest month on record. The index was up 2.1% from December of 2007.The number of pending home sales increased about 13% Texas and the Southern and Midwest U.S., but fell about 4% in the West and 2% in the Northeast.For more information about Austin Texas Real Estate visit http://www.RomeoM.com 02/08/2009

According to the latest report from www.ofheo.gov the U.S. government's website regarding real estate values - the Austin area ranked #1 for appreciation for the 3rd quarter of 2008 with a 5.62% appreciation rate. Although that may not seem like much - it is a welcome site compared to some of the double digit declines in other areas of the nation. The rental market is very strong and sales have picked up since the beginning of the year. With builders offering big discounts and rates in the low 5% range, we are seeing first timers and move up buyers starting to get off of the fence. For more information about the Austin Real Estate market visit http://www.RomeoM.com 02/06/2009

I have written a few posts about the church that we are helping to plant in Georgetown, Texas (20-30 minutes north of Austin).  A couple of weeks ago, the pastor (Whit Anderson) decided to change the name of the church from ChristChurch PCA to Christ Presbyterian Church.  This came as the result of a couple of factors: I had discussed the idea with a couple of friends of mine, one of whom approached Whit with this. Whit was accidentally introduced as the pastor of the "Church of Christ" in Georgetown at an official function Frankly, the second bullet point above was exactly why we were a little concerned about the original name.  A new church has enough challenges without being mistaken for another denomination.  We are moving forward with our plans to begin Sunday morning services on A... 02/05/2009

On Wednesday February 4, 2009, Congress voted on a new proposal that would allow a tax credit of 10 percent of the value of new or existing residences, up to a $15,000 limit for home buyers. Current law provides for a $7,500 tax break but only for first-time homebuyers. The proposal would cost the government an estimated $19 billion increasing the overall stimulus package to over $900 billion dollars. This is one of many attempts by the new administration to stimulate the economy. The provision was the second tax cut approved in as many days targeted to individual industries. On Tuesday, the Senate voted to give a break to consumers who buy new cars to help creat a greater demand for the automobile industry. To read more Austin Texas Real Estate information visit http://www.RomeoM.com  ... 02/05/2009

Several of the Coldwell Banker Realtors have joined up creating a team to focus on the Sun City Real Estate market.  All of the Sun City Team Members are licensed, experienced  Realtors® who  know the local market and are working with the goal of obtaining the best possible price and the best possible terms for Sun City Home Buyers. Meet the team. 02/05/2009

Country Western Event at Sun City Texas! So if you've been thinking about visiting Sun City Texas in Georgetown, TX now is the time. Sun City is holding a special 3 day event on Feb 20-22 with a special performance by country western artist Sonny Burgess on Friday, February 20th at 7pm. If you RSVP by Feb 18th, there is NO CHARGE. Sun City is also running some great specials on their inventory homes February 9th-22. Email me for more information or you can call me directly at (512) 743-7820 to learn more about Sun City Texas or to request a free DVD. You can also visit http://www.RomeoM.com for more real estate information or to read my other Austin Texas Real Estate blog. 02/04/2009

Georgetown Texas Real Estate This video was provided by agents for Georgetown Texas real estate Georgetown Texas real estate has old homes as well as new homes in master planned communities. Learn about the real estate in Sun City and other parts of Georgetown http://www.skyrealtyaustin.com/Georgetown-TX-Real-Estate.php your real estate company 02/01/2009

I have had a few people asking about the progress for our new church in Georgetown, so I thought I should provide a quick update. We have grown a little bit (I think we have about 15 core families now), even though we are still just in the planning stages.  Our first Sunday morning service will be Easter Sunday (April 12th) at Tippett Middle School.  For now, we continue to meet in the space next to the Run-Tex store just south of the town square at 809 S. Main Street in Georgetown from 6-8pm Sunday evenings. We met last night and began discussing some of the key areas that need to be addressed in order to get things started on the right foot.  Whit (pastor) asked me to lead the Connection ministry, which basically is supposed to help visitors to feel more plugged in.  This is the purpo... 01/12/2009

Real Estate Market Analysis Report for Homes in Berry Creek-Georgetown Texas Property Type: Residential Status: Sold Number of Properties: 106  BedsBathsSqFtListing PriceLP/SqFtSelling PriceSP/SqFtSP/LPSP/OLPDOM High 6 5 4,970 $579,000 $150 $551,250 $142.81 103.88% 108.45% 390 Low 2 2 1,544 $171,900 $78.82 $167,000 $72.27 83.45% 79.14% 0 Average 4 3 2,910 $319,548 $109.79 $307,071 $105.97 96.58% 94.89% 94 Median 4 3 2,761 $299,374 $109.81 $284,500 $105.95 97.45% 95.33% 73   Search Criteria for Berry creek Status S Property Type HOUSE Subdivision contains Berry Creek Sold/Lease Date between 1/1/2007 - 12/31/2007  Report time: 12/17/2008 9:15 AM Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed user must verify Visit our website for more information about Berry Creek and Georgetown Texas 12/17/2008

A few people had recently asked me about how our church plant was proceeding, so I thought it would be timely to give a quick update on things.  For those of you who don't already know, I am involved as a core member of a brand-new church that we're starting in Georgetown, Texas, called ChristChurch PCA.  We are part of the Presbyterian Church in America.  I felt strongly led to participate last spring when my spiritual mentor and friend of 13 years passed away at age 49. One of the biggest hurdles has been cleared at this point: we have secured a more permanent place to begin meeting!  Tippett Middle School will serve as our meeting place for 1-2 years as we grow.  The school is located in south Georgetown, just off of Leander Road, about 1/2 mile west of I-35.  We are planning to begi... 12/15/2008

Georgetown, Texas was established in 1848 by George Washington Glasscock on a fork in the San Gabriel River. Glasscock donated the fertile land, replete with numerous sources of clean, clear water, and the city became the seat of Williamson County. Until the mid-1800s, the area had primarily been inhabited by the Tonkawa Indians, and farming was a common source of income after the arrival of the settlers, as was the timber and logging industry. The community remained mostly agrarian until the late 1800s, when the railroad was built, and about the same time, Southwestern University was established in the small community. The Chisholm Trail, which was used to transport cattle from Texas to Missouri and Kansas, also ran through the heart of Georgetown, so the cattle industry also provided ... 10/28/2008

Georgetown, Texas is an Austin suburb located in Williamson County. The population is estimated to be near 50,000 in 2008. Georgetown is considered part of the Austin-Round Rock Metro area. Georgetown is the county seat of Williamson County. The city has one of the best preserved Victorian-era downtown historic districts in the US, earning the title of "National Main Street" for its Main Street.  Georgetown also has many natural attractions, with popular recreation sites such as Lake Georgetown and Inner Space Caverns. Georgetown also has one of the best public school programs in the nation, with several schools receiving Recognized and Exemplary status. Georgetown public schools spend $5,573 per student. The average school expenditure in the U.S. is $6,058. There are about 14 students... 09/18/2008

Below you will find the current market activity for Serenada.  Feel free to contact me if you have a particular buyer need (I often know of properties not yet on the market).  Also, if you would like for me to provide you a Seller's Market Analysis -- I am happy to do so! SERENADA COUNTRY ESTATES/SERENADA WEST Average Sale Price: $211,750 Average Price per Square Foot: $108 Average Days on Market: 41 SERENADA EAST Average Sale Price: $168,167 Average Price per Square Foot: $99 Average Days on Market: 77 09/16/2008

Below you will find the sales and market data for Georgetown Village -- including current market and solds.  Please keep in mind that this is general information -- each home is different and will bring a different value in today's market.  If you have specific questions about absorption rates, a particular property, or neighborhood within Georgetown Village -- please feel free to contact me directly at klombar@kw.com. ACTIVE MARKET There are currently 48 homes on the market Average list price: $243,940 Average price per square foot: $100.46 Average days on market: 48 PENDING/PENDING TAKING BACK-UPS There are 3 homes Average list price: $216,267 SOLD 4 homes have sold during this time Average sale price: $202,763 Average list price: $211,048 Average days on market: 72 09/16/2008

Well, so Lehman Brothers could not find a buyer in the 11th hour and filed for Bankruptcy.  No big surprise - we've been saying "Garbage in - Garbage out" for a couple decades now...In this case, we're not talking about computers.  The "garbage in" is the ridiculous loans that have been made. You can always expect this kind of thing when people are making big money without having to be smart.  Think about it.  During the height of the real estate boom, my phone was ringing off the hook with people identifying them as "real estate investors."  They were always looking for property where they could borrow 103% and cash flow with a tenant in the house.  Never once did I take a bite of the tempting fruit of the out of state "investor."  Californians were amazed at how cheap homes are here i... 09/16/2008

I am excited to announce that there is a new church that we have formed in Georgetown, Texas.  Not long ago, we decided to become involved in a new church plant with the associate pastor from our previous church.  I knew that he would eventually have his own congregation, and I feel blessed that it ended up being close enough to our home that we could participate. Whit Anderson is a terrific teacher, and having spent the past year in a great discipleship group with him, he is a loyal friend as well.  I look forward to watching the church blossom and grow under his dynamic leadership style.  That is a photo of him to the right along his wife, Heather, along with their cute daughter Abbey. We had our first "official" meeting and Bible study this past week, and we will be meeting on Sunday... 09/11/2008

You hear a lot about how Georgetown, Texas is such a great place to live for people who work in Austin. But what about 30 minutes in the other direction North? Well, that would land you right in Temple and the entire Killeen/Ft. Hood area. Don't be scared off by the picture on the left...that would be more like your commute to Austin, then Temple. You see, if you're heading north, there rarely is any traffic! Heading south into Austin, well, that's another story. I have recently had an influx of clients who are working in Temple/Ft. Hood/Killeen and one thing that is important to all of them is the drive time. So here's a little research I put together thanks to the power of Google maps. These calculations were done to the entrance of the neighborhood to the Hwy 195 exit 268. You'll wan... 09/06/2008

Property taxes are pretty high in Georgetown, Texas. Anywhere in Texas for that matter. The last thing you should do is pay more than you need to.   In a previous post on property taxes in Williamson County, I revealed the actual value that the Williamson County Appraisal District appraised some homes for: Boxwood Loop - Appraised for $171,607 Westbury Lane - Appraised for $160,324 Rosebud Lane - Appraised for $214,193 Greenside Lane - Appriased for $182,535 Well, here are the resuts: Boxwood Loop - Adjusted to $153,600 Westbury Lane - Adjusted to $152,400 Rosebud Lane - Adjusted to $184,000 Greenside Lane - Adjusted to $158,300 That's a total reduction of $80,359.   Assuming a tax rate of 2.4%, I just saved $1928/year in taxes. Now that's worth fighting for! I believe that service hap... 09/03/2008

Why Georgetown, Texas ofcourse!Texas Monthly magazine recently ranked the Creative Playscape in Georgetown's San Gabriel Park as the best in state. I asked my wife what she thought about it and, although she likes it, she mentioned that it was actually a little too big for our little kids and she would have a hard time keeping track of them. Maybe a great place for the older kids...or mom's who are a little more care-free. Anyway, the Austin American Statesman wrote an article on it and I've included it below for your convenience:Georgetown playscape ranked best in stateTexas Monthly magazine praises San Gabriel Park playscape.By Bob BantaAMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFFThursday, July 17, 2008GEORGETOWN — When Raoul Perez drove into Georgetown on an errand last week from his home in Marble Fall... 08/20/2008

These days you mention anything with the word "gas" and you can get all sorts of attention...so I'm cheating with this blog post to get some additional readership If you searched for GAS PRICES, GAS STATIONS, GAS IS GOING UP, GAS IS GOING DOWN and/or GEORGETOWN, TEXAS I hope this blog comes up.  Don't worry, I will actually write something relevant: My parents and my older sister, Jennie and her whole family, came down from Maryland to visit us a few weeks ago.  It was nice, we stayed in a time share at San Antonio and then spent a few days in Georgetown, Texas.  Well, since all things must come to an end, it was soon time for me to drive them back to Austin Bergstrom International Airport (just 40-50 minutes from Georgetown).  I left at about 4-5 AM since it was an early flight and I n... 08/18/2008