TONY MARTINEZ

By KEN THOMAS and STEPHEN MANNING, Associated Press Writers Ken Thomas And Stephen Manning, Associated Press Writers - 1 hr 17 mins ago

WASHINGTON - Car shoppers have until Monday night to take advantage of lucrative Cash for Clunkers rebates from the government, and the Obama administration is hoping for a smooth ending to a program that has spurred auto sales but created headaches for many auto dealers.

The popular program will end at 8 p.m. EDT Monday after burning through much of its $3 billion in funding in just a month. All new deals will have to be completed and dealers must file their paperwork by the deadline in order to get repaid for the big incentives.

President Barack Obama and administration officials declared the program a success Thursday, saying it has revitalized the ailing auto industry and finally brought reluctant car buyers back to dealership lots. Originally a $1 billion program, Cash for Clunkers was boosted to $3 billion in early August after heavy customer demand nearly depleted its funds in just one week.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the program has been "a lifeline to the automobile industry, jump starting a major sector of the economy and putting people back to work." He said the department was "working toward an orderly wind down of this very popular program."

But it has also created problems for dealers, many of whom have yet to be repaid for the clunker deals they have made. Under the program, dealers take rebates of $3,500 or $4,500 off the price of a new car in return for older, less fuel-efficient trade-ins that are sent to the scrap heap. They then must submit a 13-page application with proper documentation of the sale in order to get repaid.

That has left many dealers with unpaid claims worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

"It has brought in some traffic that we would not have had, but if you don't get paid, it is all for naught," said Alton Owen Jr., sales manager at Owen Ford in Jarratt, Va. His dealership won't be offering the clunker deals this weekend because it has yet to be repaid for 21 sales.

Obama and LaHood pledged that dealers will get their money back. But government data shows that many claims are still outstanding. As of Thursday, 457,000 sales worth $1.9 billion had been received. About 40 percent of those claims have been reviewed, but only $140 million, or about 7 percent of the claims dealers submitted, have actually been paid.

Government officials said there were no plans to extend the program again. The Monday deadline was set to avoid surpassing the $3 billion funding level, given deals that may be made this weekend and those that are still in the pipeline for approval.

Applications for rebates will not be accepted after the Monday deadline, administration officials said. The Transportation Department cautioned dealers about making sales this weekend, advising them to make sales only where the buyer's paperwork is clearly in order and can be submitted immediately for repayment. Dealers will be able to resubmit rejected applications after the deadline.

John McEleney, chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association, said he remained concerned that so few dealers had been reimbursed for Clunker deals. But he said the Monday deadline should give dealers time to get their paperwork in order.

"I think if we can get a clean cutoff Monday and get everything processed by then, it will have been a pretty darned successful program," he said.

But Mike Mahalak, who runs a Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep dealership in Winter Haven, Fla., said the Monday end date could lead to a similar rush that nearly crippled the federal government's computer systems that were set up to handle claims.

"That Web site will lock up again once everyone is cramming it again on Monday," Mahalak said. The administration has said it expanded the capacity of the computer network in an effort to improve the process for dealers.

Obama said in an interview Thursday that the program has been "successful beyond anybody's imagination" but dealers were overwhelmed by the response of consumers. He pledged that dealers "will get their money." The administration has said it has tripled the number of staffers sorting through the paperwork.

It remains unclear whether the Monday deadline will create a new rush of sales this weekend and if dealers will continue to make deals knowing their claims have to be filed in four days.

To help cash-strapped dealers, both Chrysler and General Motors said they would begin providing cash advances to help dealers cover any cash shortfalls related to the program. The automakers said they would provide the advances for up to 30 days to dealers who have already completed a sale and that they will be available as long as the program remains in effect.

The program provided at least a temporary boost for the beleaguered auto industry and dealers.

GM announced plans to rehire more than 1,300 workers and automakers have been paying overtime to ramp up production. Hyundai recalled 3,000 workers in Alabama. Many dealers have made hundreds of sales and reported that even customers who don't qualify for the program are visiting lots to buy new cars.

Jeremy Anwyl, CEO of the auto Web site Edmunds.com, said the government incentives could dry up sales in September and October, along with a tight vehicle inventory, higher prices for new models arriving in the fall and consumers who are focused on finding a good deal.

"It's been a nice party for a few weeks. The hangover, I don't think, is going to be anywhere near as much fun," Anwyl said.

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By Sig Christenson - Express-News

Fort Sam Houston has long wanted to see developers and landowners prove that they have done endangered species surveys near its Camp Bullis training range before building malls and subdivisions.

Thursday, an ordinance requiring developers and landowners to prove they've done surveys for endangered birds and land used by cave-dwelling creatures goes to the City Council.

Mayor Julián Castro said he thinks the ordinance will pass. If it gets eight or more votes, the law will go on the books immediately, but it still could face a challenge in court by angry developers or property owners.

Castro, though, doesn't think the city is asking for much.

"Basically we're telling them, ‘Look, we want you to comply with the law,'" he said. "‘To the extent that the law is the bare minimum, we'd appreciate that you'd be more thorough considering what's at stake here.'"

City leaders and the Army say that some control of growth is needed to preserve Camp Bullis. But developers, chafing over the way they have been portrayed by critics and in news accounts, contend they've cooperated with efforts to protect the camp and want the ordinance dropped.

Fort Sam has argued that since the early 1990s, the loss of dense foliage to streets, malls and high-end homes around the 27,994-acre range has caused a 400 percent increase in the number of endangered golden-cheeked warblers there.

As the birds have flocked to Camp Bullis, the Army has closed 10,000 acres of the range when the migratory warbler nests there from March through August. The post has accused developers of either not doing surveys or failing to share them with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Michael Moore, past president of the Greater San Antonio Builders Association, said he believes Fort Sam has provided inconsistent figures on the increase of birds at the camp and that it has changed the way the animals are counted.

Developers, he added, have been following the federal law.

"I haven't seen any concrete proof to the contrary," Moore said Wednesday.

The ordinance requires a developer or property owner clearing more than two acres of land anywhere in the city limits or the extraterritorial jurisdiction to submit an affidavit that states the project has complied with the 1973 Endangered Species Act.

Camp Bullis's surrounding area would be the only part of the city or its ETJ to be impacted by the ordinance. It's the only area that has warbler habitat or land features that could be used by cave-dwelling spiders and beetles.

Not every property around the camp would require a survey. If a landowner or developer can show that the property doesn't have caves or contain foliage used by warblers, they'll check off a box and sign the form, said Roderick Sanchez, director of planning and development services.

Developers also must tell the city if they've razed habitat used by endangered species and obtained land elsewhere to mitigate its loss. A federal permit is required for that.

Critics say the federal agency has never prosecuted a developer here for violating the Endangered Species Act. Officials with Fish and Wildlife's Austin office have long said their actions are limited by rules that prohibit them from entering private property without permission.

Deputy City Manager Pat DiGiovanni said he thinks the ordinance is strong because a developer failing to comply with it can see his project stopped in its tracks. He said that Fish and Wildlife officials have pledged to investigate projects referred to them by the city.

"Whether they do it or not is a different story," he added, "but they've told us that they would."

Moore, a residential developer, contends the proposal would violate a section of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Code that prohibits governments from imposing rules, regulations or ordinances related to endangered species - unless they are used to implement habitat conservation plans.

Castro said the city is on firm legal ground because it's gathering information from developers, not enforcing federal law.

"But it wouldn't surprise me if there's a legal challenge," he said.

Moore said you can pretty much bet on it.

"I believe the law to be illegal and I believe that if someone having to comply with the law is upset about it, they will challenge it," he said.

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OK! agents sometime miss the most important question when dealing with a buyer or a seller..That is do you have to sell another home somewhere else to buy here? I sometimes hear an agent in my office talk, and talk to a client and get mad because they feel they missed out on a deal because they never asked the transfered buyer or seller the question, "do you need help buying or selling where you are going?"

This question should be asked even if they are transferring from or to a destination. I took a rental referral today and these same agents asked why? I explained to them. Farming means "Plant the seed today and watch it come to fruition in the future" The agent that emailed me this morning mentioned that this was a transfer and that they did not want to collect a referral on the rental but if they client buys in the future (1 yr was the tenants plan) they would want a 25% referral then. I didn't even hesitate, I said sure! Free Money!

Depending on your market, real estate is local. Here in San Antonio, Texas you can still buy a 3/2/2 home for 80k in some areas and they really are not bad areas..for me, my rule of thumb is 900 + in rent. At some point that person I help will want to buy a $90,000 plus home. San Antonio is a heavy military community. I have folks coming to me all the time wanting to rent $1200-$1600+ homes for a year and then buy...They usually buy in 9-10 months when their lease is almost up..

If you are in a military community. I can tell you that your military person is more than likely coming to San Antonio! Why you might ask, well we have Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) This base is seeing a huge hospital being built (about 4,000 new transfers, Two years ago a rehab center was completed. Ft Sam Houston- major medical training center being built, should bring in about 8,000 servicemen and women..the NSA is building a new data center that will employ about 1500 folks..

Which brings me full circle to my friendly real estate professionals.. "Referral, Referral Come out where ever you are!" I should be hearing from all of you!

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For the last 43+ days I have been following the show "Big Brother" I did not know it had that big of a following until last week, I met a friend that also stays up late to watch it on Showtime After Dark..

The show, if none of you have ever watched it, is getting house guest to stay in a home with no contact to the outside world unless you win HOH (Head of Household). You get a letter from home. Each person is trying to "back-stab" each other with lies and half truths..

Weird game for a Real Estate Agent who has to live with ethics in the real world. None the less it is fun to watch the drama..And let me tell you there is drama. There are folks from all walks of life on this show. Each week someone gets voted out of the house!

The show airs Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday on CBS and showtime after dark from 11-2am..Check it out for some weird entertainment. Just be careful you might find yourself blogging in the middle of the night, while watch this addicting program!

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By Jason Buch-Express News

San Antonio recorded more sales of existing homes in July than any other month in the past year.

Sales last month totaled 1,980, a 9 percent increase from the same time a year ago and the largest volume of sales seen here since June 2008, when sales broke 2,000, according to data from the San Antonio Board of Realtors. The median price also was up 2 percent.

National news reports that the country is coming out of the recession and the up to $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers have fueled sales, SABOR Chairwoman Florence Terrell said in a news release.

Add interest rates of between 5.5 percent and 6 percent, and many potential buyers and sellers who had been sitting on the fence are taking action, Travis Kessler, SABOR chief executive, said.

July is usually a peak time for home sales, but this July has been a landmark, Kessler said. "This is the first time in 12 months that we've seen an increase in sales as compared for that same month the year before."

But year-to-date home sales, at just more than 10,200, did not reach where they were at this time last year, when 11,669 homes had sold.

Home prices have been relatively stable in San Antonio, Kessler said. Year-to-date median home prices are $151,600, compared with $152,200 at this time last year. The median price for single-family homes last month was $158,300, a 2 percent increase from July last year.

"Price stability is still favorable in today's real estate cycle," Kessler said.

The 1,675 pending sales in San Antonio last month represent a 3.7 percent increase from last July, the highest that number has been since June 2008. San Antonio's available inventory of 11,868 is further evidence of stability, Kessler said, as that number does not represent an oversupply and has changed little in last year.

About 67 percent of July's sales were for houses costing less than $200,000, a market generally dominated by first-time buyers. Kessler said that shows the tax credit for first-time buyers is bolstering sales.

D'Ann Harper, broker/owner of D'Ann Harper Coldwell Banker Realtors, pointed out that the tax credit applies to buyers who haven't owned a home in three years.

"We usually have a slowdown towards end of the year, but with that home buyer tax credit still in effect, I think that's going to help us tremendously and keep momentum going," Harper said.

Her agents have been busier in July than in recent months, she said, and they have seen appreciation in values in the $225,000-$300,000 price range.

Kessler said 10 percent of San Antonio homes sold through the Multiple Listing Service in July were foreclosures, or short sales, compared with 50 percent of monthly sales in states like California, Nevada, Arizona and Florida. Short sales and foreclosures have averaged 13 percent of total sales this year.

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