Blog with Krisstina

Do you want to talk about money? Shhh. Don’t say that too loudly.
We each encounter money every day and most of us would claim that we don’t have enough to get all the help (products and services) we need to take care of ourselves and families. Some of us might declare we have enough money to satisfy our current lifestyle but we certainly do not have enough to fund our future lifestyle (retirement) by having enough money to save and invest above the amount necessary to pay the bills. We silently admit that we don’t have enough, yet most of us think there is something evil, wrong or bad about money, needing it or wanting it. We think talking about money, learning to make more and building wealth is crass; rather than a dignified virtue of mature adults who play a vital role in the marketplace and with their families. Truth is, every human being needs help that only money buys. The sooner we can get over our craziness about money and cure our ignorance about it, the better we can get at earning and investing enough to live a good life.

Read more »

Austin continues to be one of the best places to live in our great nation. Check out the statistics for real estate, the cost of living, low unemployment rates and affordability that are released by independent companies and research firms every week. Whether you are listening to Yahoo!, CNBC, Forbes or the Wall Street Journal, you are likely reading the same conclusions that we are: Austin has risen to the top of every list as the best place to live.

I begin this blog reminding all of us that Austin is being rated at the top of every list because the statistics that we track and report to you every month validate and verify, with hard numbers….exactly what these polls are reporting. Real estate sales, while slower than sales of previous years, are recovering from the slug that hit us from the national media hype earlier this year. Buyers are continuing to purchase homes at an ever increasing rate, and sellers have been adjusting their pricing to be in line with a more modest appreciation rate…and what buyers are willing to pay for their homes.

Read more »

For those of us living in Austin, it comes as no surprise that Austin made the top ten list of 2008 Best Cities to Live, Work and Play. Kiplinger selected the winners by looking for cities with strong economies, abundant jobs, reasonable cost of living, and lots of fun things to do. They utilized the services of Martin Prosperity Institute, a think tank that studies economic prosperity, in coming up with their winners. Interestingly enough, one of the key ingredients that the think tank looked for was number of residents in the creative ‘class’. According to the think tank, “People in creative fields — scientists, engineers, architects, educators, writers, artists and entertainers — are catalysts of vitality and livability in a city.”
Read more »

Sales Closed by Month
As indicated in the above graph, Austin has started out 2008 with a slight reduction in the number of single family home sales per month when compared to the past three years. However, as we track the heavy green line (2008 sales), we can note that the market is tracking all three previous years very closely with the increase in the number of monthly sales as we move into the seasonal selling time of the year. Traditionally, the marketplace experiences a seasonal bell curve trend year after year, and we anticipate June and July to produce the highest number of monthly sales for the year.
Read more »

On May 27th, the Wall Street Journal printed an article about the ‘national’ real estate market. They reported on a recent S&P index about the decline in home sales prices and provided several stats about what’s happening on a ‘national’ level.

As we’ve stated before in previous blog articles, there is no such thing as a ‘national’ real estate market. Real estate is, by it’s very nature, local and regional. There is no denying that some cities in the United States are experiencing a housing crisis. Places like Las Vegas, Miami and Phoenix are experiencing home price decreases between 23% to 26%. However, as Austinites, it’s important not to be swayed by the national ‘doom and gloom’ reports and stay focused on what’s happening in Austin. To help, we’ve compiled a few graphs to contrast Austin Texas real estate against the ‘national’ real estate market.
Read more »

It’s that time of year again – Tax-Assessed Appraisal time.

On May 1st, if you are a homeowner, you should have received your property valuation by your county appraisal district. And, according to a recent article by the Austin American Statesman, it is most likely that your tax appraisal has increased. As it stands, Five Travis County school districts could be seeing double-digit increases on their property valuations. See the map below for increases by area.

For those of you who think your new tax appraisal value is too high, you have until May 31st to protest your county’s appraisal.

To help you through the process of filing your protest, I have a few suggestions.
Read more »

On May 12th, 2008 the GoodLife Team proudly rolled out the latest edition of GoodLifeTeam.com - Interactive Maps for buyers specifically looking urban Austin real estate, specifically East Austin condos or Downtown Austin condos, lofts or high-rises. While several sites exist for Downtown Austin condos, most are static and cumbersome and require a significant amount of time to scroll through pages to make educated assessments regarding the various projects. Krisstina saw a need for a concise, easy to use interactive site that would help downtown condo buyers compare and evaluate the various emerging projects. With the influx of developers to East Austin, and the fact that the GoodLife Team headquarters at East Cesar Chavez and Waller, an East Austin Interactive Map was the next logical step. A map for SoCo/SoFi/SoLa will be rolling out in the near future.
Read more »

“If you think living in Austin feels like a permanent vacation, you’re not alone”… Thus begins a brief news report in the Austin Business Journal titled Austin Tops 10 “Greenest” Retirement Destinations. According to a recent U.S. News and World Report, the nation’s retirees selected 1000 Best Places to Retire. From that list, only 10 were selected as the ‘greenest’ retirement destinations.

Read more »

More good news for Central Texas! Statesman.com writes the results of a recent census which shows that Texas is growing in population relative to other parts of the Country. The article reports that 4 Texas cities are among the top 10 biggest population gainers between 2006 and 2007.

Dallas/Fort Worth came in at number one with over 162,000 new residents. Houston was reported as the 4th in population growth with Austin and San Antonio coming in at number 8 and 10 respectively. On a percentage basis, Austin was among the top five fastest-growing cities in the nation. Experts say that Austin real estate home prices continue to be a big factor in the surge of our growth.
Read more »

Sales Closed by Month
Austin Texas Real Estate closed out 2007 with the predicted seasonal dip in the number of sales for the month, and recent articles and stats are proving that 2008 is beginning the upward trend in the seasonal curve that typically peaks in June, July, and August. The Austin Business Journal recently published an article speaking about the strength of the local real estate market, and you can find that here: strong market.
Read more »