Austin Real Estate Blog

Best Date Spots to Take Your Valentine In Austin

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:34:29 -0600

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, Austin shops are stocking their windows with love-filled gifts, couples are submitting photos to cutest couples contests, and restaurant reservations are filling up fast. Have you made reservations yet? Not to worry! Austin is known for its support of small business and has a number of charming restaurants to take your special someone. Whether you’re moving to a new part of Austin or finally joining us from afar, the friendly folks at Realty Austin will get you into the home you want with time to devote to these more important things. Once you’re settled in, try one of these great restaurants for your most romantic of evenings.

Corazon at Castle Hill – As the Spanish word for heart, Corazone had to be first on the list. Established in 1986, this pleasant downtown bistro boasts a creative Mexican cuisine from veteran chef Michael Taddeo. Enjoy friendly service and a romantic atmosphere with dishes as unique as Austin. Not to mention Voted Best of 2011 by Realty Austin!

Fonda San Miguel – This popular date spot is located in the heart of central Austin, and offers Mexican cuisine as artful as the restaurant’s wall décor. The Fonda San Miguel website features an art gallery and a food gallery of their dishes.

Chez Zee – An American bistro also located in central Austin, Chez Zee offers a great variety of dishes in a sophisticated environment at reasonable prices. Impress that special someone, but make your reservations soon.

Moonshine Grill – Moonshine has a great historic feel with soft romantic lighting both on the patio and in the restaurant. A great place to host events, Moonshine’s location in downtown Austin is a great jumping off point to enjoy the after-dinner night life.

Sullivan’s Steakhouse – Now there are multiple Sullivan’s locations, but Austin’s downtown location snuck into this top five because of its classy, romantic atmosphere and exceptional live music provided by local Austin talent. After dinner, enjoy drinks at Sullivan’s upscale piano bar.

Special thanks to Sweet Caroline Photo for the incredible photo!

Austin Is a Top 10 Fittest City

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:03:36 -0600

MapMyFitness, a mobile app that helps users track workouts, releases a Fittest of the Fit Index once a month which ranks the fittest US states and cities. Each month, MapMyFitness updates the rankings from almost 2 million exercisers actively updating fitness activities on their fitness profiles. This month, Austin ranked 9th fittest city in the large city category. In January, Austin ranked 8th fittest city. With over 18,000 MapMyFitness members, almost 115,000 recorded activities, and a lower-than-average overweight and obese BMI, Austin remains one of the Top 10 fittest cities month over month.

Click here to see a full list of fittest US cities and states.

Stalled Sweetwater Community Back In Development

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:48:01 -0600

Several reasons account why new developments stall, but in the case of Sweetwater Community – which is expected to take a decade to complete – it was a case of growth vs. nature. Since its inception, the project has stirred controversy. Sweetwater developers wanted to provide housing for a growing city and Save Our Springs Alliance wanted to protect local waterways. With a start and stop pace, the beautiful Sweetwater community in the Texas Hill Country has survived a tumultuous development.In 2004 when Sweetwater's original developer announced plans to develop 3,000 new homes on land with canyons, scenic ridges, and steep hills in western Travis County, Save Our Springs Alliance intervened and sued the developers stating that the development will pollute local waterways. SOS also claimed that the formation of the Lazy 9 Municipal Utility District, established by the developers to oversee services in the Sweetwater development, was unconstitutional.The lawsuit was dismissed and the court ruled in favor of the development requiring the alliance to pay nearly $300,000 in attorney fees to Bill Gunn and his partners. In face of having to pay a huge collection fee, SOS filed for bankruptcy in 2007. For several years, the residential project was left untouched and in 2010, Bank Midwest foreclosed on the Sweetwater project. Posted for foreclosure auction, Wheelock Street Capital acquired the vast property. The new owners offered changes to the Sweetwater plan that would be more protective of Bee Creek and Barton Creek – plans happily supported by SOS. “A lot of Sweetwater will remain wild and have extensive wilderness trails,” Real Estate Marketing Advisor Barbara Koenig, representing Sweetwater, said. “The goal is to keep everything as natural and beautiful as possible.” Construction of the new development began this year and has been approved for 1,800 residences by Travis County and a proposed new middle school. Water retention and detention ponds have been constructed. David Weekley Homes plan to begin building in the 1,400-acre master-planned community of Sweetwater in early Spring 2012. Phase 1 homes will range from 1,600 square feet to 4,500 square feet and make up 225 lots. The first phase will also include a community welcome center and club house near the entrance, a resort pool and pavilion.

Want to live in Sweetwater in Travis County? Check back here in Spring 2012 - once listings hit the MLS, our site have a landing page for all homes for sale in Sweetwater. What is your take on how growth should occur in Southwest Travis County? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Special thanks to Linda Scott of American Statesman for the photo.

Realty Austin New Website Launch

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:20:23 -0600

This December, Realty Austin's Leadership Team met on several occasions to discuss the past, present and future of our rapidly growing company. Several great things came from these meetings including a decision to release the newest version of our website by the end of January.This new version has been under wraps for almost a year while we simultaneously worked to improve the content and features on our current site, which, by the way is the most widely used home search website in Austin. We are all excited to get this new version launched and cant wait for you to tell us what you think. Here's what's to come very, very soon.

Even faster than our current site (which is already pretty fast).
Much cleaner, brighter and appealing look and feel
All MLS listings will have 50% larger photos and better organized information
Enhanced neighborhood pages with even better descriptions
Neighborhood videos on some of Austin's top neighborhoods
A map of our upcoming Open Houses each weekend
Even easier to use home search makes it easy to search any way you want
Better support for iPad and other Tablet devices
Much, more more...

Austin Prepared To Thrive In 2012

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:35:29 -0600

Main Street has placed Austin as one of the top 10 cities poised for greatness in 2012. Having a 6.6% unemployment rate to go along with decreasing home prices, many are able to live comfortably and enjoy all that Austin has to offer. Living recession proof while keeping it weird is what Austin's all about.

Click here to read more.

Austin's Positive Housing Trend to Continue In 2012

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:16:38 -0600

The beginning of the year is usually a good time for experts to interpret trends from last year and forecast trends for the new year. Many investors want to know how is the real estate market in Austin. To predict trends in this year's real estate housing market, last week ABOR and Home Builders Association of Greater Austin held the Fourth Annual Housing Forecast, an event totally dedictated to discussing trends in the Austin real estate housing market in 2012. And so far it's looking positive. Some even say that Austin's housing market is the best real estate market to invest in 2012. It definitely helps that Austin is a Best Performing City going into 2012.Austin's upward trend in the housing market last year is expected to increase this year according to some housing forecast experts. Housing experts interpret that job growth and population growth along with a shrinking inventory of rental units will increase housing demand. Home prices will see an increase as well as new home starts which are expected to increase for a second year in a row in 2012. In 2011, Austin home starts increased by 5% compared to 2010's inventory. New home starts will continue to see an increase in the Austin housing market as long as strict mortgage underwriting criteria, supply of developed lots, weather and water resources, and investor confidence remain stable.Read more about Austin's positive housing trend here.

Special thanks to Bruce Turner via Flickr for the incredible photo!

Austin Snags Best Real Estate Market In 2012

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:13:41 -0600

Austin's market never fails to impress as noted by Trulia's Chief Economist, Jed Kolko, who listed Austin as number one out of the top five real estate markets to watch in 2012. Other than the obvious appeal to the city's beauty, other factors such as job growth, technology skills, advances in construction around the city, and education levels have made Austin a hot commodity in the real estate business. Other cities that made the list include Houston, San Jose, Boston suburbs and Rochester, for reasons similar to Austin's advantages.

Click here to see more information on why these cities made the list.

Want to make the move to Austin? Ask us how!

Austin Is One of the World's Top 10 Cities for Street Food

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:32:02 -0600

Food & Wine magazine has named Austin one of the top 10 best cities for 'street food' in the world! From the impromptu trailers that appear amidst the late night 6th street goers to the immobile trailers like those on South Congress, one can likely find long lines of hungry people trailing in front.

For those who have not gotten to experience the wide variety of eats all over Austin, check out Austin Chronicle's Top 10 Food Trailers list for ideas of what kind of food each trailer has and where and when to find them!

But the options don't end there! Visit Food Trailers Austin's website to search through almost 170 Austin vendors by location or type of food.

Austin Fourth Best City For Dating In 2012

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:31:42 -0600

Looking for love in all the wrong places? Not if you're living in Austin! With high numbers of available singles in the area and low dating costs, it's no wonder The Daily Beast has ranked Austin the number 4 best city to find a date in 2012.

The top cities generally had high average salaries for singles with an overall lower cost of living, which makes things a lot easier for you and your date's wallets. Even the cheap movie route has risen to almost $20 per couple, not including the $8 popcorn and $4 soft drinks.

Austin's percentages of single men and women have risen to about 57% giving Austin's singles on the prowl plenty to choose from. Austin also had a leg up in the competition for being among the 10 most popular cities for five online dating sites.

Atlanta took the number one spot in the rankings, but Austin surpassed cities like Houston, Denver, Dallas and San Francisco.

Click here to see why Austin and others made the 'Best Cities to Find a Date in 2012' list.

Special thanks to Jake Holt for the incredible photo!

How to file for your Homestead Exemption in Austin

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:58:56 -0600

Homestead exemptions remove part of your home's value from taxation, which depending on the value of your home, could potentially save you thousands each year. If you want to receive a homestead exemption for the taxes on your home, your home must first qualify as a residence homestead on January 1 of the year in which you are applying.

There are two requirements: 1. You must own your home on January 1.2. You must use the home as your principal residence on January 1.A state law that took effect on September 1, 2011 has changed proof of residency requirements for homeowners applying for the property tax homestead exemption.

It's vital that home buyers update their address on their driver's license, and with the tax assessor/collector in their area in order to be able to provide the required documentation for the homestead exemption.

The following items are required when filing for your Homestead Exemption in 2012.

Your Homestead Exemption will NOT be allowed unless all the required documents show the same homestead address. ALL THREE DOCUMENTS MUST HAVE THE SAME ADDRESS.

APPLICATION FOR RESIDENTIAL HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION
Copy of DRIVER'S LICENSE or IDENTIFICATION CARD from the Texas Department of Public Safety and the address MUST MATCH the homestead address.
Copy of Vehicle Registration Receipt. The address MUST MATCH the homestead address. Once the change of address is processed by the tax collector's office, homeowners can get a copy of their registration receipt either from the tax office or from the department of motor vehicles.
If you do not own a vehicle, you must complete the Non-Ownership of Motor Vehicle Adavit (found on the Application for Residential Homestead Exemption), sign it before a Notary Public, and attach a copy of a utility bill showing the homestead address.
Mail the completed form to the Appraisal District for your County.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is a homestead?

A homestead can be a separate structure, condominium or a manufactured home located on owned or leased land, as long as the individual living in the home owns it. A homestead can include up to 20 acres, if the land is owned by the homeowner and used as a yard or for another purpose related to the residential use of the homestead.

Do all homes qualify for homestead exemptions?

No, only a homeowner's principal residence qualifies. To qualify, a home must meet the definition of a residence homestead: The home's owner must be an individual (for example: not a corporation or other business entity) and use the home as his or her principal residence on January 1 of the tax year. If you are age 65 or older, the January 1 ownership and residency are not required for the age 65 homestead exemption.

Do I, as a homeowner, get a tax break from property taxes?

You may apply for homestead exemptions on your principal residence. Homestead exemptions remove part of your home's value from taxation, so they lower your taxes.For example, your home is appraised at $100,000, and you qualify for a $15,000 exemption (this is the amount mandated for school districts), you will pay school taxes on the home as if it was worth only $85,000. Taxing units have the option to offer a separate exemption of up to 20 percent of the total value.

What homestead exemptions are available?

There are several types of exemptions you may receive.

School taxes: All residence homestead owners may receive a $15,000 homestead exemption from their home's value for school taxes.

County taxes: If a county collects a special tax for farm-to-market roads or flood control, a residence homestead owner may receive a $3,000 exemption for this tax. If the county grants an optional exemption for homeowners age 65 or older or disabled, the owners will receive only the local-option exemption.

Age 65 or older and disabled exemptions: Individuals 65 and older and/or disabled residence homestead owners may qualify for a $10,000 homestead exemption for school taxes, in addition to the $15,000 exemption for all homeowners. If the owner qualifies for both the $10,000 exemp-tion for 65 and older homeowners and the $10,000 exemption for disabled homeowners, the owner must choose one or the other for school taxes. The owner cannot receive both exemptions.

Optional percentage exemptions: Any taxing unit-including a city, county, school, or special district-may offer an exemption of up to 20 percent of a home's value. But, no matter what the percent-age is, the amount of an optional exemption cannot be less than $5,000. Each taxing unit decides if it will offer the exemption and at what percentage. This percentage exemption is added to any other home exemption for which an owner qualifies. The taxing unit must decide before July 1 of the tax year to offer this exemption.

Optional 65 or older or disabled exemptions: Any taxing unit may offer an additional exemption amount of at least $3,000 for taxpayers age 65 or older and/or disabled.