Texas

Smart ideas to help you sell your home in North Texas Part 1

11-20-09

Tracy Lee Parker, Broker

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Office: (972) 442-1277

Mobile: (972) 365-7198
Secondary: (214) 477-5609

Smart ideas to help you sell your home in North Texas Part 1

The first impression prospective buyers have when they come into your home can make a huge difference. If your home appears clean, tidy and well maintained, they can begin imagining themselves living in it. But if your home looks like it needs alot of work, a prospective buyer may cross it off their list.

Buy a home warranty while you are on the market
Replace heating and AC filters
Clean areas around the indoor and outdoor heating/cooling equipment
Clean all decks and patios
Inspect all faucets for corrosion or hard water deposits
Have slow running drains cleaned
Make sure all sinks and bathtubs hold water
Label all circuits in your electrical service panel
Have the AC serviced and the condensation lines cleaned

Make your home stand out from the rest!

More home selling tips to come!

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41 Waller: A Shining Example of East Side Gentrification

11-20-09

Garreth Wilcock Central East Austin Real Estate

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Office: (512) 694-8873

Mobile: (512) 694-8873

41Waller East of Downtown Austin: 41 Waller is a new condominium development near Downtown Austin just east of IH-35, representing just some of the incredible changes seen to the East Side of Austin in recent years. The location of 41 Waller is perfect for anyone who wants to be close to downtown without having to pay steep downtown prices. You will be biking distance to eats 'n treats such as Progress Coffee, Iron Works BBQ, Mongolian BBQ and PF Changs, just to scratch the surface. You will also be biking distance to 6th St, and not have to worry about catching a cab home! Being so close to so many Austin attractions will surely save you time and gas money!

You might find yourself asking, But what features does 41 Waller offer on the inside? Good question! Here are many of the features you can expect to find at 41 Waller:

Stackable washer and dryer connections
Bosch Energy Star stainless steel appliances
Pre-wired for a surround sound home audio system, which can be used for just the living room or the whole house!
Internet work station
Ultracraft cabinets with 6-way adjustable hinges and automatic drawer closers (Author's note: I have no idea how this works but it sounds pretty cool!)
Remote controlled ceiling fans
Granite counter tops
Energy Star Armana 14 SEER/12 EER heating/cooling system
Wet bath with rain shower head and traverline tiled walls with inlaid glass tile
Installed security system

These homes start pricing in the low $200k's. According to the website, many have sold and there are only three left at this time.

Garreth Wilcock is a Realtor in Downtown and East Austin. Search Austin homes for sale at his website.

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Turn around...don't drown!!

11-20-09

Jeanna Martinez

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Office: (210) 657-7500

Mobile: (210) 833-2268

Turn around...don't drown!!!

Here in South Texas, especially San Antonio our roads flood very quickly. We have lots of low water crossings and streams that can quickly turn into raging rivers. If you are going to try to navigate the area during heavy rains take a minute to check out the low water crossings that might be on your route and do your best to avoid them!! Here is a great resource for that: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/data_central/San_Antonio_Low_Water_Crossings.html

We had a string of storms roll into the area last night and have hung around all day, this is the result.

I took this picture while heading to a walk through. It is just one of many here in San Antonio and chances are when we watch the news tonight there will be at least one story of someone who ignored road blocks or low water crossings and had to be rescued from their stranded vehicle. I really hope we can avoid this but only time will tell! So please...be smart, turn around...don't drown!!

I hope you all have a great weekend!

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Tax Considerations for 2009

11-20-09

Crystal Kilpatrick

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Office: (512) 680-5835

The government has put into place a number of tax-saving laws for 2009 that require you to act before the year is up. Some to consider are:

•- You can use assets in a 529 without penalty to purchase computers for educational use.

•- If you do not contribute to a Roth IRA because you are above the income limits, you can make a non-deductible IRA contribution this year and convert it to a Roth next year when the income limitation for conversions is no longer in effect.

•- You can deduct more educational expenses--the American Opportunity Tax Credit has grown from $1,800 to $2,500.

•- There are tax credits for energy efficient home improvements, alternative energy products and hybrid vehicles.

There are also special provisions for retirement, small business stock ownership, and sales tax for new car purchases. For more details on these, and some end-of-year tips on balancing your investments, click on Tax Tips 2009.

Two mortgage options to consider:

•1) 2009 was the year of the refinance. Normally any points you paid on a refinance must be deducted over the life of the loan. However if your refinance replaced a mortgage that was itself a refinance you can deduct the balance of the points you paid on the original refinance.

•2) If you pay your January mortgage payment in December, you accelerate January's interest into your total 2009 interest deduction. Next year you will have less interest to deduct, so carefully consider your situation.

www.CrystalKilpatrick.com

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