The traditional 30-year fixed interest rate loan in Austin has dropped from near 4.0% to about 3.22% over the past year. The mortgage interest rate drops mean greater buyer purchasing power – much greater than a decrease in home prices. With the same monthly payment, buyers can borrow more money today than they could one […]
Austin Home Buyer Tips
Looking for tips to make your home buying experience fun and stress fee? Want to learn what professional buyer's agents look for in a house? Find out our best buyer tips on our Austin Home Buyer Tips Blog.
Don't miss our Austin Home Buyer section, our Austin Home Buyer Blog and our First Time Home Buyers Blog for more insider home buying tips!
6 Professionals Who Make Real Estate Happen in Austin
Whether you’re buying or selling a home in Austin, Texas, real estate is a team sport. Making a transaction work requires to co-operation and expertise of several different, yet complimentary, specialties. Close of escrow is their primary goal, a seamless close of escrow is their ultimate objective. Specialties You Need on Your Side If you […]
FHA Announces Fee Increases – Buy Before 2013 and Save
Mortgage insurance is required on all FHA insured home loans and is one of the most popular loan programs for Austin home buyers. FHA requires two mortgage insurance premiums, upfront mortgage insurance equal to 1.75% of the total loan amount (this portion can be financed) and annual mortgage insurance added to your monthly payment. How […]
Working with the Seller’s Agent? Consider This!
If the Austin real estate agent you are working with does not represent you, they represents the other party. The terms “working through” and “working with” do not have the same meaning as “working for.” Many Austin home buyers wrongly assume that working with an agent means the agent is working for them – protecting […]
6 Traits of a Remarkable Real Estate Agent
What traits do I look for in a great Austin real estate agent? How can I tell between a great real estate agent and the just run-of-the-mill? I’ll bet you have asked yourself those very same questions. #1: Listens More than They Speak A remarkable agent is a careful listener and a thoughtful questioner. The […]
5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Buying My First Home
Buying a home can be can be stressful, especially since you don’t know quite what to expect. To help you see past some of the unknowns, we’ve put together a list of 5 things most people wish they knew before buying their first home. 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Buying My First Home […]
Buying After Bankruptcy, Short Sale, Foreclosure or Deed in Lieu
Updated: March 20, 2017 In the last decade, bankruptcies, short sales, foreclosures or deeds in lieu of foreclosure have sky-rocketed, prompting the question: How soon can someone who has experienced a bankruptcy, short sale, foreclosure or deed-in-lieu qualify for a new home loan? The answer depends on how the home was lost, what kind of […]
Private Schools – Viable Alternative to Expensive Real Estate
The Austin Independent School District reports 5% of the approximately 91,000 students eligible to attend have opted for private or charter schools. Parents, looking for an alternative to the government run schools, are gravitating to schools whose emphasis is on the classical skills of math, grammar, rhetoric, logic and reading comprehension. Parents Looking for Alternative […]
Ready to Buy? 4 Questions Buyers Must Answer
Buying an Austin home is not like buying a new jacket or dress. It requires some forethought and preparation. People who are most satisfied with their home purchase research the process and understand their needs before they buy. Here are 4 questions to help you decide if you’re ready to take the plunge and become […]
New Features for Austin Home Search Tool
Recently, we’ve made some upgrades to our Austin home search tool – upgrades we think you’ll really like! For those of you who haven’t already discovered these cool new features, we’ll shown you here. Radius Search Say you’re looking to live within a certain number of miles from work, your favorite coffee shop, restaurant or […]
