Austin, TX

What is the Appraisal and the Inspection

07-03-09

Gail Tassey**South Austin Real Estate Austin Texas **512-217-9482

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Office: (512) 342-8744

Mobile: (512) 217-9482

Many first time home buyers are not familiar with the "lingo" of real estate, here are a few terms to help unravel some of the mystery.

An Appraisal is what the bank orders to determine the value of a home. An independent appraiser is hired to do an analysis of the home, the condition of the home, the neighborhood and the recent comparable sold properties in the area. The appraiser then forms a business decision opinion and submits that to the bank. The buyer is charged for the appraisers fee in the lenders fee. IF its an all cash deal the buyer would be wise to order an appraisal to make sure the money he/she is spending is of equal value to the money spent.

An Inspection is something a buyer should order right after the contract is agreed to by all parties. An Inspector is and Independent agent who has a state rating to provide particular types of inspections, as: termite, HVAC, electical and plumbing. An inspector will notify the buyer of code violations, safety issues, and repair problems.

A seller is not liable for repairing all items but some can be negotiated after an inspection. NEVER buy a home without an Inspection. In some areas a Mold and Radon Inspection is a must also.

I hope these few tips have answered a question or two for you. Whether buying here in South Austin Texas or Central Austin, call me and I can help you with your questions, visit my website for more information. http://austincomeshome.com

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A few quick ideas to update your home for little or no money

07-03-09

Betina Foreman- Austin Area Realtor, Central Austin Real Estate (512)771-6318

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Office: (512) 771-6318

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Are you looking for an effective way to add value to your home? We live in our homes on a daily basis so often we stop noticing the little things around the house. You might ask a friend to walk through your home and make some suggestions as to what would perk up your existing home. Today I will do that walk through with you on a virtual tour. Here are a few suggestions that may breathe life into a tired home.

Add a deck or redo/expand your existing deck. Adding a deck adds a virtual new room to your home at a fraction of the cost of an actual room addition. An outdoor living area and/or kitchen is a desirable feature in the modern home. The rule of thumb for adding a deck is: the total square footage of the deck should be less than one third the size of the home's interior square footage.

A splash of color may work wonders for your home. Paint is the least expensive update that can make the biggest impact. It won't add square footage, but it will improve your chances of selling your home. Often people buy a house and move in thinking that they will paint someday and simply never get around to it. Tired paint is a rampant problem in resale homes. Perhaps your home office is still baby blue from the previous occupant's nursery. Get yourself down to the local paint store and bring a swatch of your favorite color for them to match. This is also a great opportunity to remove the popcorn from the ceiling. You will be glad you did. Fresh paint shows instantly that you are maintaining your home.

As people are going "green" many are opting for new windows. This is another way to spruce up your home and add value and save money. While the upfront costs are more, the long term savings is real. The new double pane windows can seriously save you some green of another kind.

Updating your bathroom may be less costly than redoing your kitchen and it adds perceived value. For example if the faucet is new there is less chance of it leaking. Replacing dated fixtures or unsightly bath tile adds value and shows that you are maintaining the home responsibly.

If you have the time and money updating your kitchen will make a big statement. Replace the Formica or tile counters with a solid surface material like granite, or soapstone, recycled glass and concrete or Corian. A new sink and fresh coat of paint on scratched up cabinets can really liven up a kitchen. Updating dusty old light fixtures can help liven up a kitchen. Remove the 1970's-1980's box dropped lights with a lighter more modern halogen lights. If you want an inexpensive update, paint the cabinets and replace the drawer pulls and cabinet knobs. New appliances will help create a serious impact your looking for in a kitchen update. Some retailers even offer coupons online. So check online before you make a big purchase at the hardware store. If you seriously update your kitchen you may be able to increase the value of your home by 5-15%.

Power-washing your homes exterior is inexpensive and can help your home to sparkle. You may need to touch up the paint, but its worth it.

Take a few old terracotta pots and paint them to match your home's trim-work and fill it with blooming plants for a little splash of color. This makes a real statement by the front door or back deck.

Home improvement is not just something to fill your weekends. It can add value to your home and more importantly increase your enjoyment while you live there. If your selling your home one of these changes could be the thing that makes a buyer choose your home over another home. So make a plan, decide your budget and get busy improving your piece of the American dream!

If you are in the market for a new home and are not presently working with a Realtor, call me. I would be happy to help you through the process of buying a home. I specialize in Relocation and I have a network of experts to make the process easy to navigate. I look forward to the opportunity to earn your business.

Betina Foreman, Realtor

Keller Williams Real Estate 1801 S. Mopac, Suite 100 Austin, Texas 78746

512-771-6318 Betina@KW.com BetinaForemanREALTOR@yahoo.com www.BetinaForeman.com

Member: Austin Board of Realtors, Texas Association of Realtors, National Association of Realtors, ActiveRain, Trulia-Top Voices, and Zillow-Neighborhood Pros.

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Where to See July 4th Fireworks?

07-03-09

Donna Harris, REALTOR® & ASP - Austin TX Real Estate

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Office: (512) 592-7127

There are many places around the Austin area for fireworks this year. Here are but a handful of them. We'll probably be going to the Hill Country Galleria, or if Alyssa falls asleep too early, we'll just watch them from our balcony.

Tonight, July 3, you can see fireworks from Carlos 'n Charlies off Lake Travis. We plan on grilling some dinner on the patio at my in-laws and then heading out on the boat to watch the fireworks from the water.

Bee Cave- Hill Country Galleria- This is the 2nd annual celebration. It starts at 6pm and there are two live bands playing, Low Expectation Band and Band of Heathens. The jumping water will not be active since the concerts are preforming right there.

Lakeway- Lakeway City Park- The park will open at 4:30 and you cannot park at the park. You will need to park at Lakeway Elementary school or Emmaus Church. Many activities for the kids along with drinks, food, and live music. A laser light show will start at 9:15 and fireworks at 9:30.

Austin- Auditorium Shores- More than 100,000 people, so come early and bring a picnic to get your spot before someone takes it! Fireworks will begin at 9:30, and will end with the 1812 Overture.

If you would like further information about other activities in the area, here's a great write-up that lists more places.

**Are You Packed Yet?**

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin, TX real estate and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, Westlake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Whether you're buying or selling, I'll be with you through the entire process.

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Why would you work on the 4th, rather than be with family and others?

07-03-09

Tim Moncrief, Co-Owner-Bartlett RE Group

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Office: (512) 418-1435

Mobile: (512) 576-7344
Secondary: (512) 576-7344

river place
So here it is July 3rd, and I am sitting here finalizing the plans on our July 4th marketing events for our Farm for tomorrow.

Shouldn't I be taking the 4th off to be with the family? Welllllllll, partially. I am going out tonight to see fireworks, and tomorrow night for dinner; but the rest of the day is marketing 101 with fun.

I and my business partners are good ol' farmers. We have a couple of communities we work and sell a bit over $50mm a year. That's not even close to where we want to be and are taking this down market as a time where we increase our market share dramatically, while eating beans in the process of making it through this lovely market.

So tomorrow morning we start off with a parade in community 1 at 9am; though we will be there to prepare at 8am. We are passing out grocery bags (eco freindly, of course) to about 500 in the parade. Luckily the parade ends pretty quickly.

Back to the office to pick up 750 ice cream cones for the kids at the 4th of July picnic at subdivision two. Set up is at 10:30 and the event runs from 11 to 1. I do have a follow up appt with a client at 4, but after that I am done, and it is all family.

As farmers, we are strong believers in face to face contact versus advertising. So tomorrow, I will have my face and voice out to about 1500 or so people. Agent's come up to me and say why would you work on the 4th?

I just don't see what we do as work. Here is another way to look at it. I am going to a parade in the morning and then to a picnic at lunch. Sounds like a pretty good 4th to me. I am there to have fun, not work. There will be no chit chatting about business, just a time to be with others in my farm.

Well, I best get going now, as I have to go pick up a ton of ice cream for tomorrow. So, that may not be fun, but today is the 3rd.

Enjoy the 4th.....enjoy what you do.....enjoy your family. You really can do it all......... It is just a mindset.

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Marketwatch Weekly Roundup July 2, 2009

07-03-09

William Staney

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Office: (512) 502-1705

Mobile: (512) 644-1587

Weekly Roundup

JULY 02, 2009

MarketWatch's top stories of the week

By MarketWatch

Well, after getting our hopes up over the last few months, the economy turned on us this week and sent a depressing but fairly clear message that we are still deep in the recessionary tunnel. In fact, it feels like the light at the end of this tunnel is still so far away we can't yet tell if it's an oncoming train or the sweet sunshine of recovery.

After briefly turning positive for the year in recent weeks, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) and the Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) are now back in the red as investors reassess the state of the economy. The indexes have now recorded three weekly losses in a row.

Friday's unemployment report appeared to catch investors off guard, even though other data during the month should have sent a clear signal the economy is still in a recession. Nevertheless, many in the markets had started to talk openly of a recovery when in fact economic reports showed little more than a slowing in the rate of the decline.

Maybe those rising bond yields really were triggered by worries that inflation will get out of control because of government stimulus after all, and not a sign that the yield curve is normalizing as the economy rebounds.

The Dow fell 223.32 points or 2.6% on Friday to close at 8,280.74, a drop of 1.9% for the week. The S&P 500 fell 26.91 points or 2.9% to close at 896.42, for a weekly loss of 2.5%. The Nasdaq Composite (.COMP) dropped 49.2 0 points or 2.7% on the day to close at 1,796.52. For the week, the index was 2.3% lower.

Stay tuned to MarketWatch.com throughout the long weekend. We'll have coverage of all the news you need plus a package of stories that reviews quarterly mutual fund performance and looks ahead at what the third quarter might bring. We'll also have a look at how to invest in the clean technology sector.

-- Christopher Noble , assistant managing editor

Time to worry

A nasty strain of complacency has settled over Wall Street in the past several weeks, as the stock market has begun its traditional summer lull. At some point, the major stock indexes will break from their range -- possibly as soon as next week, when earnings season kicks off. It's now up to companies -- particularly in the finance, retail and tech arenas -- to either beat the forecasts or wilt in front of them. Read David Callaway's column on why it's time to be concerned .

Disappointing jobs report

The U.S. economy shed jobs at a faster pace in June than in May, suggesting that the turnaround in the economy may take longer than expected. Nonfarm payrolls shrank by 467,000 in June, higher than the 325,000 decline expected by economists surveyed by MarketWatch and the 322,000 jobs lost in May. Read more details about the latest employment data .

Euro-zone's employment woes

The jobless rate across the 16 nations that share the European single currency rose more than expected to 9.5% in May, climbing to a 10-year high as the recession continues to take a toll on the euro zone. Spain's labor market continued to bear the worst of the downturn, with the unemployment rate rising to 18.7%. Read the full report .

Bonds: More room to run

Many investors see the potential for more gains in corporate bonds through the end of the year, if the economic recovery turns out to be tepid and with U.S. company debt still paying much higher yields than Treasurys. In the first half of the year, the major fixed-income asset classes reversed the dramatic moves of 2008's financial crisis, giving high-yield bonds the best performance by far and leaving Treasurys the biggest loser. Read more about the outlook for bonds .

Mexico: Depending on ratings, U.S. revival

Gains for Mexico's stock market and its currency in the second half of the year hinge on reforms by the Mexican government to stave off ratings downgrades and on firm signs of a U.S. economic rebound, analysts said. Latin America's second-largest economy has sustained a series of heavy blows this year: falling exports as its largest trading partner, the U.S., fights through recession; an outbreak of a deadly influenza strain; and escalating violence related to drug trafficking. Read more about Mexico's forecast .

A century-and-a-half sentence

A federal judge in Manhattan sentenced admitted multibillion-dollar swindler Bernard Madoff to 150 years in prison, citing the enormity and callousness of his Ponzi scheme's crimes. Lawyers for Madoff had sought a sentence of 12 years for the 71-year-old money manager, who in March pleaded guilty to 11 felony charges -- including securities fraud, money laundering and theft from an employee-benefits plan. His clients have reportedly lost more than $13 billion. Read more about Madoff .

Hailing the Green Dam delay

Computer-industry trade groups and representatives reacted positively to China's decision to indefinitely delay a controversial rule requiring the world's leading PC makers to include Web-filtering software in any computers sold in the country. One spokesman for a tech-industry trade group said the move should make it easier for tech companies to do business with China. Read more about Green Dam .

Hyundai has another winner

If this car-selling gig doesn't work out, executives at Hyundai might want to consider careers in psychology. The Korean automaker has played masterfully on the fears of its customers during some of the darkest days the industry has ever seen, and its efforts have paid off big. In its latest effort to drive sales, Hyundai offered new-car buyers a chance to lock in $1.49 per gallon gas for an entire year. It's not a new concept and the savings may not be all that substantial, but the timing is right. Read more about Hyundai's new incentive .

Another Airbus down

A Yemen Airways jet carrying 153 people crashed in the Indian Ocean near the Comoros Islands early Tuesday, marking the second major crash involving an Airbus plane in less than a month. The A310 jet, nearly 20 years old, was on the final leg of a journey from Paris and Marseille to Comoros via Yemen. It was operated by Yemen Airways since 1999, according to Airbus. Read more about the accident .

Holiday travel outlook

U.S. airlines, along with hotels and resorts, have slashed prices this July 4 holiday to reel in and net today's more budget-conscious traveler. It's helped, leading to a 5% increase in leisure-travel bookings for airlines over the three-day weekend, as recorded by AAA. But the trade-off is sharply lower revenue. Read more about Independence Day travel

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