This month's newsletter was the easiest to write in quite some time. It seems as though the press just can't stop saying enough good things about Austin. Take a look at some of these amazing headlines from some very reputable news sources: Forbes: Austin is nation's best bargain city Austin only major city to gain jobs in last 12 months Austin forecasted as 5th fastest growing US city Austin best city for a 'fresh start' Austin home prices rise, continue to drop elsewhere Texas in top 5 states to lead nation out of recession Texas foreclosures decline 9% in April 2009 Austin unemployment rate drops in April 2009  First time home buyers also got another dose of good news as the Federal Government rolled out a new plan that allows the $8,000 first time home buyer tax credit to be used at ... 06/11/2009

Georgetown, Texas: Homes for Retiring Wine Lovers Every hard-working person dreams of the day of their retirement, when they can sit back, relax and enjoy the fruits of their labor throughout the remainder of their days. Ideally, people rediscover the passions they were too busy to pursue and fill the void that the lack of work suddenly leaves in their lives. This could mean moving to a region of the country or world that helps retirees experience their ideal retirement. Many retirees are discovering their retirement dreams are coming true in the wine country of Central Texas. During these pressing times, it may be more difficult than before to find a location where an affordable housing market and low cost of living will allow you to pursue fine pleasures such as wine. A recent U.S. Ne... 06/09/2009

This is some information that was provided to me by one of Austin's top mortgage brokers: As you may have noticed, interest rates on 30-yr fixed mortgages have really shot up over the last few days.  We have gone from 4.5% with 1 point on Thursday morning of last week, to 5.25% as of late this afternoon (Wednesday, May 27)! I have never seen anything like this!!  Several recent events have contributed to what we are seeing: Thursday, May, 21, on the heels of Standard and Poor's announcement that it was reviewing the triple-A credit rating of the United Kingdom because its debt burden was to rise to 100% of gross domestic product, bond guru Bill Gross of PIMCO said that there is a fear that the U.S. may lose it's AAA credit rating. This has shaken confidence in the U.S. government's abil... 05/28/2009

Berry Creek Country Club in Georgetown, Texas To all you residents out there who live in Berry Creek, you now have a community forum! I just created a Facebook page for neighbors to interact, network, conduct business and get the inside scoop on Berry Creek real estate! All you have to do is click here: Berry Creek Country Club Getting a Facebook account is real simple and it's a great way to connect with friends...and this is just another reason to do it!:) Looking for information on Georgetown Texas Homes For Sale? Visit my website or call me anytime!! Want the latest updates on Georgetown Texas Real Estate, news and latest developments? Sign up for the blog by clicking the link below: 05/16/2009

Many people I talk to are feeling a bit more optimistic these days.  Even President Obama believes the economy is showing 'glimmers of hope.'  In Austin, we are by no means immune to the economic crisis, but we feel very fortunate that our local economy has remained relatively strong in spite of the challenges we've faced as a nation. To support this statement, I have included a number of links to some very relevant and respected news publications and economic data.   1.    Austin's unemployment rate actually FELL in February as the Austin area added about 6,000 jobs.  Our overall rate of only 6.3 percent remains well below the national average.  2.    While many cities across the nation are shrinking, the Austin metro area continues to grow.  More people continue to move in to Austin t... 05/12/2009

Good morning real estate afficionados, from the World Headquarters of Optimism Atop the Hill (based in my study with a wonderful view of rural Williamson County, Texas).  I was sitting here reading my email this morning, going through the maze of "How to Survive" and "Get More Listings" spam from vendors, and it occurred to me - they want us to buy in to this sensationalism, but the real truth is that things are going briskly here in the Georgetown area.  Sure, we still have a little over 2 years of inventory in the $500-750k market here (on the west side), but you know what?  If you have that kind of money to spend, you've seen them all and the ones that have sat forever have sat forever FOR A REASON.  NEWS ALERT:  WELL LOCATED PROPERTIES THAT ARE APPROPRIATELY PRICED AND CLEAN/STAGED ... 04/29/2009

Ok, I know what you're thinking..."A festival that's named after a flower?" But, what a beautiful flower it is: (Photo was taken by Lucas Adams) Every year, the city of Georgetown Texas celebrates the introduction of the Spring season and along with it, all of the beautiful flowers of the Hill Country landscape. Georgetown, just happens to be the Red Poppy Capital of Texas. If you love flowers, that's a good thing. If you only like flowers because you can give them to your wife when she's mad at you, it's still a good thing. The Red Poppy Festival has something for everyone: Lots of live music and performances; food (time to get your Kettle Corn!); a car show (for you non-flower enthusiasts); and ofcourse a parade. This festival definitely has the kiddos in mind with lots of free entert... 04/23/2009

I decided that it would be a good time to provide another update on the progress of our new church in Georgetown, Texas.  Since my last update, we have switched venues in order to have more space to grow.  Also, our previous location was probably going to become unavailable in short order. We continue to work on the small logistical details of church planting, including setup, marketing, printing, preparing for visitors, signage, setting up the accounting system, etc.  One of the more exciting developments has been the addition of music to our worship time (instead of just singing).  We have three great and talented musicians now, with guitar, bass, and drums. Currently, we have about 15 families committed to the church, and we are praying for about 25 families (10 additional) by the ti... 04/07/2009

First-Time Home buyer Credit of Up to $8,000Qualified first-time home buyers who purchase a home in 2009 before December 1, 2009 will receive a tax credit of up to 10% of the purchase price (up to $8,000).  Home buyers can claim the credit on their income taxes and receive money back in excess of taxes. For example, if you are owed a refund of $1,000, you could now receive up to $9,000 back. Program details: The credit does not have to be repaid, provided the home is owned for more than three years. To be considered a first-time home buyer, the purchaser (and spouse) must not have owned a home for three years prior to home purchase. The home must be the purchaser's primary residence; only single family homes qualify. Full credit will be issued to individuals with an adjusted gross incom... 04/01/2009

I wanted to say something about one of my favorite builders here in the Austin area. I believe they offer exceptional value, quality and comfortable designs that fit the way you live. Bob Perry recognized a need for quality homes at reasonable prices. With an uncompromising commitment to quality, Perry Homes has become one of the largest and most respected builders in Texas. They have been around over 42 years. They have offices in Austin, Dallas, Houston, McAllen and San Antonio. Most buyers, over 50 years old, are looking for a single story home. And with land being prime here in Texas, the majority of homes are 2 stories. Perry has more single story plans than any builder I have dealt with in this area. Most of Perry Home's Standard Features are expensive add on and upgrades with oth... 03/23/2009

I have been posting about our church plant for several months now, and we continue to grow and move forward with our plans of launching our "official" Sunday morning services in September.  In the meantime, I am pleased to announce that we will be beginning our first public services on Sunday, April 19th.  This simple evening service will begin at 5pm, and it will be held at the Georgetown Public Library, at 402 W 8th St, Georgetown, TX 78626.  This is just one block west of the square! After searching extensively for the right larger venue to accommodate us until September, we settled on the library for a number of reasons - cleanliness, size of rooms, cost, etc.  There were some small hurdles to overcome, but we are really looki forward to getting started there. We have also assembled... 03/22/2009

  Every year, the ERA Colonial Real Estate office in Georgetown, Texas, has a food drive for The Caring Place, an agency providing assistance for those in need in Williamson County and, thus, often in need itself.        All the agents take a neighborhood and distribute bags to be filled with food.  On a designated date, we re-visit our neighborhood and collect the bags put out on their porches by the residents of Williamson County who are aware that we're all in this together and who are giving their neighbors a helping hand.             Then, we all gather at the office and load up the haul into one vehicle and take it off to the Caring Place and unload it.              If you'd like to experience more of this great and fulfilling event with us through photos, look here (and turn on y... 03/15/2009

Spring is in the air and homeowners across the city are preparing to put their homes on the market.  Some of my clients have managed to get ahead of the pack while others are still getting their homes ready to sell.  Either way, I'm making sure they realize the statistics indicate they may have a lot of competition this summer. I have noticed a definite increase in buyer traffic over the last month.  I'm not sure how much of this is related to Obama's Housing Stimulus Plan which offers certain buyers an $8,000 income tax credit versus an overall perception that good deals can be had in this buyer's market.  While media reports continue to focus on negative news, you might be interested to know that 1,730 single family homes actually sold in the Austin area during January and February, w... 03/10/2009

The Federal Reserve on Tuesday rolled out a much-awaited program aimed at boosting the availability of credit to consumers and small businesses. The Fed will lend up to $200 billion to spur consumer lending -- for autos, education, credit cards and other consumer debt. The money will be used to provide financing to investors to buy up the debt. The bold program, dubbed the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility, was first announced late last year and originally scheduled to start in February. Participants -- companies and investors that pledge eligible collateral to back the loan -- must request the new government loans by March 17. The Fed will provide the three-year loans on March 25. The Fed said the program has the potential to generate up to $1 trillion of lending for businesse... 03/03/2009

For the longest time, I've been wanting to add a map to my webpage. Here's something I've been working on: View Larger Map I want to be able to give my website visitors a good idea of the different neighborhoods in Georgetown. I'll add price ranges and pictures in the future. What else do you think I should add? Any suggestions or comments would be much appreciated! Looking for information on Georgetown Texas Homes For Sale? Visit my website or call me anytime!! Want the latest updates on Georgetown Texas Real Estate, news and latest developments? Sign up for the blog by clicking the link below: 02/25/2009

Apparently, the name change for our fledgling church is already working!  Actually, I am joking, but it was a pleasant surprise to have two new families show up last week.  As it turns out, BOTH of them had found the church from my blog!  This was a terrific feeling. One lady mentioned that she had been looking for "PCA church Georgetown" on Google, and one of my previous posts was at #1 that day.  Later, I did some research, and it turns out that my posts were on SIX of the top ten results for that term.  But how? Apparently, the tags I had assigned to my posts were picked up via various Yahoo pages and MyBlogCatalog, along with the normal AR indexed pages and Localism.  Cool! Our website is currently undergoing a re-design, and it should be finalized soon.  Feel free to check it out: ... 02/21/2009

The White House website posted a Q&A on its blog yesterday for homeowners in distress to learn how the President's plan will help them specifically. Here are a few excerpts: Borrowers Who Are Current on Their Mortgage Are Asking: • What help is available for borrowers who stay current on their mortgage payments but have seen their homes decrease in value? Under the Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan, eligible borrowers who stay current on their mortgages but have been unable to refinance to lower their interest rates because their homes have decreased in value, may now have the opportunity to refinance into a 30 or 15 year, fixed rate loan. Through the program, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will allow the refinancing of mortgage loans that they hold in their portfolios or that they... 02/19/2009

As of January 1st 2009, HUD began allowing a reverse mortgage to be used as a means to purchase a home. Qualifications for this option were comparable to typical reverse mortgage options (buyer must be the primary resident, over the age of 62, etc.) but there are some differences. For clients that are utilizing a portion of their equity from selling their existing home and looking to purchase a new one, HECM for Purchase could be an ideal option. To Learn More about this purchase option, visit the HUD Website.For more Austin Texas Real Estate information please visit http://www.RomeoM.com 02/13/2009

Most of us set goals and resolutions at the beginning of each year, but how many of us actually keep them? I'm not talking about goals about losing xx # of pounds, quitting smoking, going to the gym, etc., I'm talking about financial goals. During troubled times, reaching those goals may seem like an impossibility, but with some self-discipline and perserverance, you can accomplish those goals even in a recession. Afterall, most successful business people have actually prospered during troubled times. The key is to reinvent your lifestyle or businss to reflect these goals. Success lies with maintaining good habits and not falling back into your "old" ways of doing things. Some tips to acheiving these goals are to: Stop putting things off and start now Learn as much as you can about your... 02/12/2009

Normally, January and February are the slowest months for real estate in Austin.  This year is different.  It seems like everyone I talk to in my industry is struggling to keep up with an unexpected, but welcomed surge in activity.   I'm not sure whether it's the warm weather, a more optimistic outlook, low interest rates, or a combination of all three.  What I do know is that the buyers who are getting in the market now are finding some amazing deals on homes that didn't sell during the extraordinarily slow fall buying season.  If you don't believe my anecdotal evidence, according to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) the number of homes under contract during the last week of January was up 47% compared to the same week in January of 2008.  As I've said before, Austin did not experienc... 02/11/2009