Betina Foreman-Serving Lake Travis area and the greater Austin area!

As a fifth generation Texan, I have deep ties to this great state. I love being a native Texan, and apparently with the influx of people moving here we may become an endangered species! LOL I want to share one of my favorite childhood memories with you. Growing up on the Gulf Coast was wonderful.

Sometimes on the weekends my grandparents would take us to go "crabbing". Nana would stop by "The Colenal's" and get a bucket of fried chicken for us to have for lunch. Then we would head for the marshy parts of Galveston to collect crabs.

This was a fun and exciting afternoon for us as children. We would often get distracted by chasing hermit crabs or collecting sea shell and sand dollars. I still have one of the largest sand dollars that I found when I was about six. It is one of my personal treasures as it takes me back to a time when I had no worries and all the people I love were still around.

We would take our lines and tie a chicken neck to it and throw it out into the shallow water. The crabs would grab it and start their lunch. We would slowly reel in the string and catch the unsuspecting crabs in a net close to the shore. Little did they know that icky raw chicken neck would be their last meal, before they became our dinner.

Sometimes this was a treacherous task for us kids. I remember once my sister got stuck in the sandy mud and fell down on the crab I was reeling in. Of course the crab was now pretty angry and he pinched her on the behind. She screamed and all crabbing came to a halt as my mother scooped her up to see what the problem was. Then she got pinched too! Needless to say this little fellow went into the bucket and did not pinch anyone else, ever!

That evening we went home and Nana would put on a huge pot of water to boil. Then Mom and Nana would season up the water and toss the freshly washed crabs into the pot. Sometimes Nana would remove the crab-meat and make the most delicious spicy crab cakes, which was always a favorite in our house. In no time at all we would be feasting on some delicious crabs and huge salad. Mom showed me a trick for extracting the claw meat. The claw meat is the sweetest and the hardest to get to. Everyone should do this at least once in their life.

It is a great family experience and it created memories that can't be matched by simply going to Gaido's and ordering a plate of softshell crabs.

My friend Tracy Blair at Gracy Title just shared some good news with me. The news is about how the economy is recovering. We are making our way out of the recession slowly but surely. There is light at the end of the tunnel and the end is near! While the national real estate market has seriously slowed, the Austin Texas home market has only seen a slight drop in closed home sales. Now is a great time to buy a home in Austin. Many homeowners are now choosing to move up to a larger home to take advantage of the increased inventory and historically low home loan interest rates. There are many people relocating to Austin looking to buy homes and start businesses in Austin. The First Time Home-buyer tax credit has also proven to be a great tool to assist home buyers. The tax credit is up to $8000 on the purchase of a new construction or resale home. Please note that if you have not owned a home in the last three years, you qualify as a "First time homebuyer"! This program has helped many renters make the leap to home owners! Tracy said to share this positive news with clients and friends so here goes. Please note the information sources are credited below the quotes.

Analysis: Tax Credit Adds 357,000 Buyers
A study estimates that 357,000 buyers have been motivated so far by the $8,000 First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit.

The study by Campbell Surveys, a division of Campbell Communications, calculated the figure by comparing the number of first-time homebuyers before and after the tax credit was instituted. The percentage of first-time buyers rose from 32 percent in January and February to 43 percent for the rest of the year - except July when the rate fell to 42 percent.

Campbell 's Research Director Thomas Popik pointed out that this survey mirrors the numbers calculated by the National Association of REALTORS® and those from Moody's Economy.com.

The data supports legislative efforts in both the U.S. House and Senate to extend the tax credit.

Source: HousingWire.com, Austin Kilgore (09/22/2009)

Sometimes it feels like that everyone is waiting on good news from the real estate sector before the recovery can begin. The following article covers NON-real estate good news.

Published September 23, 2009 in On the Street by Sarah Morgan Wall Street Journal Digest - SmartMoney

If you are in the market for a new home and are not presently working with a Realtor, please call me. I would be happy to help you through the process of buying a home. I specialize in Relocation and I will 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 BetinaForemanRealtor@yahoo.com Betina@KW.com www.ZilkerParkHomes.com

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

It may be a dirty business but it does not have to be a secret. It is important to know what your getting into. Selling homes with septic systems is nothing new. Many communities in the Austin area have homes with septic systems, for example: Shady Hollow, Dripping Springs, Westlake Hills, Lakeway, Hudsen Bend, Bee Creek, Lago Vista just to name a few. I have sold many of these homes and can help Buyers be aware of what to look for in a functioning septic. There are several reputable septic companies around town that can help you with the process of pumping and inspecting your septic tank. Iwant to share a little about the process with you.

Depending on where the house is determines who should inspect the system. If the property is within 2000 feet of Lake Travis, it is required to be inspected by LCRA-The Lower Colorado River Authority. The seller will apply to have it inspected and file to transfer the "Permit to Operate an Onsite Sewer Facility". The inspection can be a "walk-over" or a full tank excavation/pump/inspection. The LCRA has the authority to uncover and inspect your septic system every five years to ensure it is operating properly. They do this to ensure the Lake Travis wateris not compromised with septic run-off.

If the property is well away from the lake you may have it pumped and inspected by the company of your choice prior to purchasing the home. I always recommend that home buyers have a septic inspected prior to purchase even if the seller says its working fine. Better to have the peace of mind that you know it is functioning properly. Some companies will even give a discount if they perform both services. Typically the Seller will pay to pump the tank and the buyer will pay for the inspection. So if you choose to use the same company you may save a few dollars. The cost of pumping depends on the size of the tank. Typically its about $275-$400 for a 1000 gallon tank, the cost of inspection ranges for $250-$400 as well. There are a variety of variables: age of tank, size of tank, size of drain-field etc. You should be able to contact the county to obtain a copy of the installation permit and diagram of tank and field location.

If you need to find a septic company please visit my website: www.BetinaForeman.com to veiw the list. Of course if I can assist you to find your next home please give me a call.

Betina Foreman Realtor

Keller Williams Realty

1801 S. MOPAC, Suite 100

Austin, TX 78746 512-771-6318

People always ask me how Austin's economy is doing. My answer is while the rest of the country is not faring so well, we seem to be doing fine. Historically Texas is the last state into a recession and the first one to come out of it. Now I have some more solid information to back this up. Recently the Austin Business Journalreported that according to IHS Global Insight of Lexington Massachusetts Austin is poised to be one of the first cities out of the slump.

"Austin and San Antonio will be the first two U.S. cities to recover from the recession, according to a new national forecast from IHS Global Insight.

The forecast from the Lexington , Mass. economic research firm suggests the two Texas cities will bounce back to their pre-recession job levels sometime next year."

There is more good news. The Brookings Institute also named Austin as one of the 20 best performing metropolitan areas in the second quarter of 2009.

"Texas had the strongest showing, with six cities among the 20 strongest metro areas: Austin , Dallas , El Paso , Houston , McAllen and San Antonio . Florida dominated the list of the 20 weakest metro areas with eight, including Bradenton , Cape Coral , Lakeland , Miami , Orlando , Palm Bay and Tampa."

If you would like to read the entire Brookings Report please follow this link: http://www.brookings.edu/reports/2009/06_metro_monitor.aspx