The video tour is of many neighborhoods in South Austin, it gives you a tiny taste of what to expect or what to see in my neck of the woods. Call me if you wish to find a home in any of these or other neighborhoods in South Austin Texas. I live here, I work here and I can help you discover the South Austin flavor.
Keep up with South Austin events and home buying, call me for your real estate Goals... let's chat about your Goals. Gail Tassey®, 512-217-9482, http://www.austincomeshome.com
Energy Audits In Austin Texas
June 1, 2009 the new Ordinance became effective for many residents of Austin Texas. I saw a post where the tip of the iceberg was covered on this subject and many readers wanted more information so here is my take. (the orginial post was by Crystal Kilpatrick).
Originally the City of Austin wanted to make these upgrades Mandatory before selling a home that was 10 years old or older. The Austin Board of Realtors fought long and hard to compromise with the City and have Voluntary upgrades. The new Ordinance is the resulting compromise.
The Austin Energy Audit requires home sellers who live in the City of Austin and use Utilities provided by the City of Austin, and have homes 10 years old or older, are single residences, not an REO.. to comply with a new disclosure. There are City of Austin Inspectors who will conduct the Audit costing from $250-450, depending on the square footage and number of air conditioning units. The Inspectors have been certified by the City of Austin. The Audit has a 10 year life.
The purpose of the Audit is to let Buyers know what types of upgrades to the home could improve their usage of electricity. The Audit does not mandate doing repairs, or upgrades, at this point in time it is informational. Required disclosure, if the seller does not comply they can be fined up to $2,000. The Audit will not delay a closing.
The City of Austin is hoping enough people will voluntarily do the upgrades and repairs and enough energy savings will occur and the building of a new power plant can be postponed for years. At this time, per the City Meeting in May, the City Utility Manager said, if enough energy is not saved by Voluntary compliance within 2-3 years (sorry I can not recall exactly that date) then the Upgrades and repairs will become MANDATORY.
This plan is being watched by many cities in the Nation, San Antonio was one mentioned at the meeting, and this plan could become a model for many cities. I suppose we will be deemed a test case, there are several cities on the West Coast that are now using similar Energy Audits.
The Energy Audit plan has been submitted to the State of Texas as legislature to become law for the whole state but as of this time it has not been passed into law.
The Audit is for duct leakage, windows having some type of solar deflection or dual pane or trees to shade them during the heat of the day, the amount of insulation in the attic and a few other things. The Inspection Companies have invested a large amount of money into being certified to become Auditors, the new equipement that detects leakage is quite expensive. The infra red cameras are also costly.
I hope this has answered a few questions some may have about our Energy Audit for sellers. Feel free to ask further questions or email me directly. Gail Tassey 512-217-9482 http://www.austincomeshome.com
This morning on the front page of the Austin American Statesman newspaper the BOLD TYPE HEADLINE says:
The statistics are out of June 2009 and when compared to June 2008 we are down a small amount. Consider first that June 2008 the real estate market in Austin was still thriving and not peaked. The Austin Market had not felt the downturn many other areas of the Nation has been dealing with. Eventually our market slowed overall due to the National Economy and the overall Housing Market.
These numbers are from Gracy Title who had them provide to them by the Austin Board Of Realtors.
| Summary of All Areas | June-09 | |||||
| Median | Average | |||||
| Jun 2009 | Jun 2008 | % Change | Jun 2009 | Jun 2008 | % Change | |
| List Price | $199,900 | $199,900 | 0.0% | $256,374 | $263,234 | - 2.6% |
| Sold Price | $195,000 | $195,500 | - 0.3% | $245,614 | $253,949 | - 3.3% |
| Square Feet | 1944 | 1877 | + 3.6% | 2127 | 2043 | + 4.1% |
| LP/SF | $105 | $108 | - 3.1% | $119 | $128 | - 7.4% |
| SP/SF | $102 | $105 | - 3.3% | $114 | $124 | - 7.9% |
| SP/LP | 97.5% | 98.0% | - 0.5% | 96.8% | 97.2% | - 0.5% |
| DOM | 49 | 37 | + 32.4% | 76 | 62 | + 24.1% |
| Price Range | Quantity | DOM | Price Range | Quantity | DOM | |
| $149,999 or under | 601 | 59 | $500,000- $549,999 | 31 | 104 | |
| $150,000- $199,999 | 532 | 63 | $550,000- $599,999 | 19 | 107 | |
| $200,000- $249,999 | 336 | 79 | $600,000- $699,999 | 31 | 153 | |
| $250,000- $299,999 | 236 | 79 | $700,000- $799,999 | 20 | 146 | |
| $300,000- $349,999 | 120 | 104 | $800,000- $899,999 | 12 | 135 | |
| $350,000- $399,999 | 92 | 105 | $900,000- $999,999 | 7 | 124 | |
| $400,000- $449,999 | 64 | 83 | $1,000,000 or over | 27 | 127 | |
| $450,000- $499,999 | 51 | 117 | Total Sales: | 2179 | 0 |
If you are looking to sell your home or to purchase a new home in the Austin Texas area, South Austin or Dripping Springs TX, give me a call and Let's Chat about your Goals. Gail Tassey, Realtor®, 512-217-9482 http://austincomeshome.com
4501 Spicewood Springs Dr Ste 1029 Austin, Tx 78759 For the Best Internet Marketing Buyers and Sellers welcome here. (512) 342-8734 http://www.skyrealtyaustin.com
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