Jan 31, 2012

Post by Bob Peterson People tell us all the time about easily solved problems around their home that bug them usually implying they’re “too much hassle” to fix. Perish the thought I say ! Loud Water Heater: This is usually caused by a buildup of mineral deposits. Some manufacturers say it hurts the tank, some say it doesn’t. My experience of 30 yrs....

Jan 16, 2012

In the middle of the worst drought we have seen in 50 years it is hard to think about time on the lake. While Lake Travis is down, Lake Austin (at least for now) still has plenty of water to pay on.  Because of this Lake Austin homes are typically more expensive than those on Lake Travis, but now things are really heating up.  If you are moving to the lake, we...

Jan 12, 2012

The Good Real Estate In recent weeks things have started to look up. Not just for me but for Austin and Houston real estate. Recently the housing sales numbers for November were released, showing a much higher than expected sales number. In fact since August things have been on fire for Houston and Austin. I am not going to claim I know why, but a few things do...

Dec 29, 2011

As Realtors, we are always asked questions about “the market.” No matter where you are, people are interested in “the market.” The reality is that there are many ways to answer because real estate is a very localized business, and in a given market area, there can be many sub-markets. Even in one city such as Austin, there are hot and cold...

As the song goes “All I want for Christmas is you“.  Many of you are thinking about Mariah Carey right now.  She certainly made that song famous.  She wrote it with Walter Afanasieff in 1994.  Since that time many people have covered this song.   Michael Bublé, Justin Bieber,  the Glee Cast, even a version sung by cats, some of these are...

For the last few years I have been trying to quantify the value of an agent to their company.  Sure an agent is expected to produce a certain amount of money for the company.  Spread the word about how great the company is to work for.  Maybe even bring other agents to work at the company.  These are all ways agents add value to a company.  What I...

Nov 21, 2011

According to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) Market Update report released today by the Austin Board of REALTORS® (ABoR), 1,455 single-family homes were sold in the Austin area in October 2011, which is 19 percent more than October 2010. During the same time period, the median price for Austin-area homes was $189,720, three percent less than the same month...

Nov 14, 2011

Every time I turn around I see another Daily Deal Site that is trying edge it’s way into my inbox. Groupon and others have rapidly shed light on business that needed a boost in this struggling economy and I’ll admit, I have been party to a few deals myself. These sites typically offer from 25%-90% (Groupon states 50-90%) off on all sorts of products,...