December 2013

This holiday season, think about decking the halls of new investment property! As the economy continues to improve, many people will feel more confident about their finances and prospects for the future. Real estate can be a good addition to your investment portfolio as you build wealth for the future.

Investors need to think about all aspects of real estate investment including rental income, expenses, home price appreciation, and taxes. At RealtyTrac we have written about the top markets for rental cash flow and trends in single family rental investment by the largest financial institutions. Recently I talked to Ingo Winzer of Local Market Monitor about putting our heads together on a top ten list for real estate investors. We looked at the markets

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Outcomes are often determined by deeply partisan politicians who sometimes, but rarely, decide to come together to solve tough problems, and federal regulators who see laws like Dodd-Frank as providing mere starting suggestions for the rules they ultimately write according to their own whims. Remember the original qualified residential mortgage (QRM) regulation, which as proposed would have required that lenders retain a share of the risk in mortgages made to borrowers putting less than 20 percent down? Invented out of whole cloth by bureaucrats who regulate banks. That said, here are a few fearless forecasts for 2014 and beyond. For really big housing issues like comprehensive tax reform and replacement of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, forget about 2014.

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Joe Rudy has over 15 years of Real Estate experience and has assisted many Texans throughout the years in achieving their goals. He has extensive knowledge in Real Estate Sales, Leasing, Property Management and Investments. He enjoys volunteering for the Blanton Museum of Art, Austin Film Society and his Church. He is active in the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals, Business Professionals of America, Austin Young Real Estate Professionals, Austin Apartment Association, Human Rights Campaign and Equality Texas. One satisfaction of his is to assist first time buyers in making the buying process easier to understand.

We just listed this 3 Bed / 2 Bath House in South Austin that has a Pool and has been completely remodeled. This house will not last long! Check out the details and Virtual Tour Below:

Only $235,000 and it is yours!

Buying a home is one of the biggest purchase decisions you will ever make. Therefore, it is important to consult an Austin-area REALTOR® who can understand your needs and match you with your dream home. Find the REALTOR® who is right for you by asking him or her the following questions.

1. Are you a REALTOR®?

Not all licensed real estate agents are REALTORS®. Only REALTORS® are members of the National Association of REALTORS®, which holds its members to a strict Code of Ethics. Additionally, REALTORS® have access to comprehensive property listing content for homes on sale in the Austin area. . REALTOR® members can share details about your home with other REALTORS® in the Austin area and expand its exposure by showing it to worldwide audiences on

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AUSTIN, Texas – Nov. 21, 2013 – According to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) report released today by the Austin Board of REALTORS® (ABoR), Austin-area home sales and prices increased nine percent in October.

According to the report, 2,145 single-family homes were sold in the Austin area, which is nine percent more than October 2012. The median price for Austin-area homes was $217,000, which is nine percent more than the same month in 2012.  

Cathy Coneway, 2013 President of the Austin Board of REALTORS­® explained, “Given the last year of steady sales volume and home price increases, many have begun to wonder if Austin is in a housing bubble. This is not the case. Industry experts say the growth of Austin’s housing market has been fueled by true

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Austin City Realty is looking for smart, ambitious Social Media Marketing Interns with a passion for providing the support needed to help Austin City Realty stand out in the marketplace. The ideal candidates are self-proclaimed social networking experts who actively use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and other social networking platforms. The interns should have a passion for exploring social networking outlets. The interns will play an incredibly important role in supporting the Marketing team in a variety of ways, including content creation and distribution and sales support. @ACRealty #ACRealty

Deadline to apply is December 20th. 

Applications are accepted through the UT Career Source (http://moody.utexas.edu/ccs/) or to Rachel Robillard

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Looks like P Terry's will finally start getting some competition in Austin. See the Article below from the Austin Business Journal.

For those who still are wondering “Where’s the beef?” one answer might be that it’s in Round Rock on Tuesday. That’s when In-N-Out Burger officially opens after months and months of waiting. The California headquarters made the announcement Monday.

The doors open at 10:30 a.m. and stay open until 1 a.m. weekdays. The iconic burger joint will remain open until 1:30 a.m. on the weekends.

In-N-Out officials still aren’t saying when its other store near I-35 and Airport Boulevard in Central Austin will open, though it appears to be soon with much of the construction complete. A timeline for a third location in Cedar Park

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Univeristy Estates and University Village have both recently sold. Both of these East Austin (Riverside) Complexes are primarily student housing properties and are on the Riverside UT Bus Line.

Investcorp, a subsidiary of Investcorp Bank BSC of the Middle Eastern country of Bahrain, has claimed a stake in Austin real estate.

The company, which purchases assets on behalf of high net worth individuals and institutions in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, has bought the University Village and University Estates apartments on Crossing Place in Southeast Austin. The communities are largely populated by students.

Though the price was not disclosed for the collective 846 units, the Travis Central Appraisal District

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Austin's real estate market made strong gains between this year and last, and the big high rises downtown were no exception.

The buildings on the list didn't change much itself – but their tax values posted gains of between 3 percent and 41 percent.

Austin's most valuable building remains the iconic Frost Bank tower. A surprise on the list is the second lot at 98 San Jacinto Boulevard, the Four Seasons Hotel, which shot up 46 percent from $66.5 million to $93.9 million to a position more valuable than the Chase Bank tower.

The figures in the slideshow to the right are taken from Travis County tax rolls, and so the list doesn't include a few of downtown's most prominent condo buildings. Condo units are valued for the tax rolls individually.

You

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