Formula 1, Circuit of the Americas comes to Austin, TX

Formula 1 racetrack, called the Circuit of the Americas is coming to Austin, TX.  This is going to be very exciting for the city.  It is going to be big!!! Now is the time to move to Austin, TX!!! 

Austin's Rental Market

Are you wondering how Austin's Rental Market is like?  I want to share with you these news I received from my property manager  I thought it was pretty interesting.

Rents are going up and it is a great time to be a landlord.  The demand for leases has increased however, they are seeing tenants with situations or credit problems.  The criteria for tenants have not changed BUT property managers have had to work with people.  Important is, can they pay rent AND can they take care of the property?  My property manager also listed why 34 of their first tenants have moved out in the first quarter of this year:
10 - Financial issues
9 - Purchased homes
3 - Job transfer
2 - Deceased
3 - Got married
5 - Landlord wanted to sell
1 - Broke the lease, left a mess
1 - Property Manager asked tenant to move due to complaints.

Statistics-wise, in Austin, (the number of units) Leases were up 5% in February compared to last February.  The average lease rate was 1,280, up 12% compared to last February.

If you are considering purchasing investment property, please give me a call at (512)786-7355.  I will also be happy to provide you with potential lease rates of the property you are considering purchasing.  If you are looking for a place to rent, here is my website to view rentals in Austin under 3,000 a month. I also do residential leases and can help you find a home to lease in Austin, TX.

Foreclosure, Short Sale in your Credit Report? When can you buy?

Are you a homeowner with a short sale, deed in lieu, or foreclosure in your past?  Are you wondering if you can EVER buy another home again?
If you have a foreclosure in your record, there is a seven year waiting period before you can purchase another property.  BUT there is a three year waiting period if there are extenuating circumstances.  Interesting huh?
If you have a deed in lieu or short sale in your credit report, the waiting period could be at least 2 years if you can put 20% downpayment on your purchase.  WOW!!!  Please read the above articles I have scanned for further information provided by United Lending.
Here is the good news, if you are facing foreclosure, wouldn't it be more sensible to go thru Short sales?  This way, you can purchase a home again in as little as 2 years?  After all, it will be a minimum of two years to probably repair your credit AND save for the downpayment to purchase a home.  So if you are in this situation, PLEASE give me a call and let me see if you are a short sale candidate.  Please call me at (512)786-7355 to see if a foreclosure can be avoided thru short sale.

Lousianna Crawfish Festival in Buda

It was a hot day this past Saturday, April 9th, 2010 BUT it was a great day to go to the Louisianna Crawfish Festival in Buda's City Park.  My family and I went for our first time.  The tickets cost each of us including my ten year old, $20 each to get in.  We immediately went to the Crawfish booth to get our plate of these tiny delicious creatures.  The line was VERY long.  While the boys waited, we found a spot under the tree, unfolded our chairs and waited.  Once the boys got closer, we took our spot on the line and claimed our crawfish plate including my ten year old who never ate one.  We enjoyed picking our plateful of crawfish under the tree, each with bottled water as it was very spicy.  Umm, I guess that is where the Louisianna part came from.  After an hour or so, we all got cleaned up and checked out all the vendor booths and food booths.  The food booths sold items such as funnell cakes, chicken fried bacon, pork chips, smoothies, old fashioned sodas, ice cones, cajun turkey leg, shrimp cooked in many ways, alligator on a stick, hot dogs, corn dogs and more crawfish. 
To boot, we were full and enjoyed our 4 hours at the park.  Will we come back next year? Absolutely, with a blanket and more chairs!

Homestead Exemptions are due soon!

Attention homeowners who purchased a home in 2010.  You have until the end of April to file your Homestead Exemption form in TX.  If you are a TX homeowner and your home is your homestead or primary dwelling, you can save money on your property taxes on your home by filing this form.  You must have purchased the property before January 1, 2011 in order to qualify.

Each County has a their own form and you must read the instructions carefully.  If you have a disability, 65 years old or older, OR a 100% disabled veteran, you may also qualify for further savings.  Please beware that a form similiar to this may have been mailed to you.  These are from companies who also solicit a fee for filing this form.  This form is FREE and there is no cost to file this with your County.  Here are the respective forms for each of the following County's.

Travis County
Hays County
Williamson County

I am here to help you save money on your property taxes.  If you wish to save more on your next purchase, please let me know.