“The latest wrinkle in the Greek financial crisis is a rush by its citizens to withdraw their savings from banks. This is both a symptom of the fear that Greece might leave the euro zone and a potential catalyst to force that exit.
While Americans might view news like this with a certain detachment, it’s important to recognize that events in Greece could affect the U.S. financial system, and may not be as far removed from conditions in this country as many would like to think.
Here are five essential things to understand about the Greek currency crisis:
AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Austin City Limits Music Festival lineup was announced at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.
The big act that was rumored turned out to be official.
The Sunday night headliner will be the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young and Crazy Horse will be Saturday night, and the Black Keys on Friday.
Those are just three of the 130 bands playing during the festival.
For those who attended SXSW many of the same bands from that festival are playing at ACL.
Also a lot of the groups booked at Lollapalooza are coming to ACL because both festivals are produced by the same company.
Still, tickets will sell out.
“People will buy tickets to ACL, regardless of the lineup. It sells out every year before they announce the bands. Part of it is more about the experience than the actual bands that are playing,” said Austin American- Statesman music writer Peter Mongillo.
For those on ACL’s e-list another round of three-day passes go on sale at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
The Austin City Limits Music Festival will happen Oct. 12 through Oct. 14 in Zilker Park.
Mortgage rates dropped again last week for the sixth consecutive week, according to the weekly survey published by Bankrate.com. The rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage dropped by .05 percent. Rates remain low but experts warn that since today’s low rates are largely thanks to debt troubles in Europe that any good news from there could cause a quick reversal.
Well, Apple Inc. will be getting bigger! It was just announced in the Statesman that Apple will be adding 3,600 new jobs in Austin over the next 10 years.
There are two reasons I care about this:
One: the betterment for my fellow neighbors is great! We all want to work, live well, and enjoy the city. Jobs provide life, so love seeing them come to the country’s south side version of Simi Valley, that’s sweet….
Two: where there are jobs, real estate is healthy. That’s one of the reasons Austin has sustained so well during the housing crisis. Jobs have continued to blossum here, so too has the housing market.
As we enter 2012, we are seeing the buyers market turn into a sellers market; less inventory and still same amount of buyers. Sellers know are beginning to have the advantage here. And it’s been awhile since that’s been the case…..
So, thanks Apple. Look forward to having you here for awhile…..
See what is happening in Austin and home fast, frequent, and for what price homes are selling. Call me with any questions!
Hello peeps!
I wanted to remind all new homeowners it’s time to fill out the Residential Homestead Exemption form and mail it in to the Tax Assessor! It can be found online at http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/taxforms/50-114.pdf
IMPORTANT: These are due by April 30th, 2012. The homestead exemption status can help lower your taxes in three ways: 
1. The appraised value of your homestead property is limited to a 10 percent increase per year.
Here are some things you will do to assist in selling your home:
Inside stuff:
Home should be spotless, especially the bathrooms and kitchen. Carpets cleaned, tile and grout cleaned, as well as windows. And no overwhelming odors, good or bad.
Remove clutter, including stacks of magazines and books. Tidy up shelves packed with lots of small items, and overstuffed closets and cabinets. These things all make the house seem smaller and lacking in storage.
Kitchen counters should be free from unnecessary objects. Magnets, notes, and pictures removed from the refrigerator door.
Here are two new laws passed during the 82nd Texas Legislature earlier this year!
Ready!? Contain your excitement……
It’s a lot tougher to get your broker’s license. You need more sales and more experience but this doesn’t apply to you…
Buyer can get an HOA resale certificate. A homebuyer purchasing a property in a subdivision will be able to purchase them directly from the HOA. Before, it was on the seller or the title company to get it for you, the buyer. And basically, the resale certificate shows that the previous owners are in good standing with the HOA and the new buyers of the home are not going to inherit past due fee’s when they buy the home/property. Sometimes it wasn’t until the closing that this was presented and the buyer was stuck with the fee’s. No more!
Well, I’m sure they did many other things with in session but as for real estate, these two are new!
9 Tips on getting what you want…
1. Never put things into writing unless you’re prepared to live with them. Once an item is put into writing, it becomes an anchor either for you or the seller/buyer. This is especially critical when negotiating with another agent who will use anything put into writing as leverage.
2. Always have room to give something the other person will deem as a perceived benefit. This is why it is so important to sell first and negotiate second. By selling first, we have the opportunity to ask questions and validate the key benefits for which the other party is looking.
“The Mueller development is ready for another expansion.
Catellus Development, the project’s master developer, said today that work is set to begin on another 221 single-family homes just east of the future Mueller town center. Work on roads, lots and utilities should begin this fall, with homes likely ready for move-in sometime in 2012, Catellus said.
The new project, which will include four homebuilders, will bring the number of homes in the Mueller development to more than 1,600. David Weekley Homes, Standard Pacific Homes and Streetman Homes will be among the homebuilders taking part, with a fourth to be announced in the next few months, Catellus said.
Situated on the site of the former Robert Mueller Municipal Airport, the Mueller development is a 700-plus acre master-planned new urbanist community. The development is projected to eventually have 5,500 single-family and multi-family homes, a mixed-use town center district and 4 million square feet of commercial space.” By American-Statesman Staff | Monday, October 3, 2011
Two things: Austin home prices didn’t soar like most of the nation’s did during the housing boom. And Austin has jobs. Lots of jobs to offer. And where you have jobs, you have homeowners. Considering This new development will be spectacular. It will continue the efforts set forth years ago to bring back east Austin and offer a variety of economic housing for all. This will bring jobs too.
So, this is a win, win.
It’s a big deal!