Les Sherman, ABR, CRS, CNE

For years people have talked about having passenger trains in Austin. Although I always knew it would happen, it was kind of suprising to hear that they had already set a start date! Construction on train cars, stations, and bridges has already begun. The U.S. govenment gave the go-ahead and a redline and some black dots on a map has become a 32 miles of welded steel and nine actual stations. Construction of the actual railroad will start on March 30, 2009 and for the first time since the black and white era, we are going to have an urban railroad here in Austin.

There will be a route from Leander to downtown, roughly paralleling U.S. 183 and Interstate 35 that will cost over $100 million to build. Officials predict it will have about 2,000 boardings a day. Capital Metro has also submitted paperwork to propose a 28-mile passenger line (on existing Capital Metro track) from downtown to Elgin. It would officially be called the Green Line and the estimated cost of that proposal is $192 million to build and another $10 million to anually run it. Austin Mayor Will Wynn and others have also been talking about a streetcar line in Central Austin.

Ultimately, I think these are all great steps of progress for our city. We live in a fast-growing area and advancements like these are merely helping us to grow and will only help our economy. Most all major cities have some sort of subways or railway travel so there is not reason for us not to have one. Not to mention, most Austinites pride themselves on being eco-friendly. Using the railways as opposed to driving will decrease polution from vehicle emissions.

Under a new ordinance, begining in summer 2009, Austin Real Estate homeowners will be required to have their homes checked for energy efficiency before selling their property. Austin homeowners will also be required to share the result of their audit with potential homebuyers, a service that will cost between $200 and $300.

However, Austin homeowners will not be required to make the upgrades. City officials are hoping that the disclosures will prompt either buyers or sellers to make the needed changes and cut energy use in the city. The audit "will give people a snapshot of how efficient the home is now," Mayor Will Wynn said. "The upgrades are voluntary, but I firmly believe that as people see how cost-effective certain upgrades are, people are going to do what's in their best interest and improve the efficiency, and therefore affordability of their homes."

The ordiance is a component of Wynn's Climate Protection plan that was unveiled in February 2007. This is the second step in his plans, following the ordinance that was approved in October 2007 that requires better energy efficiency in newly constructed homes.

An early version of the proposal included mandatory energy efficiency upgrades. As most realtors know, this would greatly slow sales and be financially difficult for both buyers and sellers. When the Austin Board of Realtors opposed, the council backed away from mandatory efficiency upgrades and decided to require only the energy audit.

If the ordiance is approved, an Austin Energy-approved contractor will be required to conduct an energy audit of houses, multi-family housing, and commercial building before they are sold. the audit will include things such as: looking at weather stripping on windows and doors, and tests of duct efficiency.

The audit will be given to the potential buyer along with other standard disclosure information at the time the house is sold, along with recommended improvments and details of Austin Energy rebate programs.

Exemptions will include: Homes in foreclosure, homes with owners who meet income requirements for Austin Energy's Free Weatherization Program, homes that are less than 10 years old, and homes that have participated in Austin Energy efficiency programs.

Austin is the perfect escape in this economic crisis if you want to get the most for your money. Not only does Austin have extremely affordable housing, there is promising prospects for future job growth. Housing has remained affordable in areas like Austin because of the growing population, relatively lax building regulations, and an abundance of land. Economists have predicted that job growth will go up by 2% by 2012. Austin is not only ranked among the cheapest United States cities to live in, but it also offers the best value to the consumer. This value is a combination of relatively low gas prices, affordable housing, sluggish inflation, and a job market that is more vibrant than most.

Austin Texas Real Estate

A 2-3 acre lot in East Austin has been discovered to be the home of an illegal dump. The site was brought to the city's attention and the city tested the site and found lead, arsenic, DDT and another pesticide. The city spent $100,000 for the testing of the site and concluded that the lead has not leached into the soil.

The city plans to clean up the area, but has estimated it will take about a year to get the project started. Some members of the neighborhood are outraged and don't understand why the problem wasn't taken care of years ago.

Location of Dump:

Austin Texas Real Estate

Mark Minchew and I recently took a trip to Houston to do our part in the Hurricane Ike relief. With a little help from other RE/MAX offices in Austin, RE/MAX Austin Associates put together a truck load of essential office supplies to donate to the RE/MAX office in the Houston Area. The trip was both rewarding and successful and we were glad we were able to do something to help out those in need.