During a time when the unemployment rate is increasing in cities around the country, the city of Austin actually expects to add around 2,100 jobs in 2009. While this is a bit disappointing for the city, which added about 19,000 jobs in 2008, it is still better than most other cities around the country.
Angelos Angelou of AngelouEconomics recently released his annual forecast to the Austin business community, at which time he discussed the effects of the recession on the city of Austin. While he acknowledged that things are looking more grim than usual, he also expressed optimism for the city – particularly in the areas of creative media and renewable energy.
“Austin has been through these cycles before, and come out stronger than ever,” Austin Biz…
It is essential to have homeowner’s insurance in place when you purchase a home. If you are borrowing money in order to purchase the home, the lending institution will require you to purchase homeowner insurance before the transaction can be completed. This is because the lending institution wants to make sure its investment is protected if the house were to be damaged or destroyed. Even if you are no longer carrying a loan on your home, however, it is a good idea to have insurance in place. After all, a home is a major investment and will cost thousands of dollars to replace if disaster strikes.
What Does Home Owner’s Insurance Cover?
The items that are covered by your homeowner’s insurance will be specified within your policy. In general,…
Austin real estate broker James Brinkman has joined the Cantera Real Estate team!
James Brinkman has lived in Austin since 1976. He received a BBA in Finance specializing in Real Estate from The University of Texas at Austin in 1994 and has been in the real estate business since 1992. He is a REALTOR® and has been licensed since 1995 and in 2002 James earned his Broker's License and his Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR®) designation. In 2005 James earned the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS®) designation, awarded to only 4% of Realtors. James can be reached at 512-344-6000.
The average rate for a 30-year-fixed mortgage has dropped to the lowest level in 37 years! Mortgage rates started falling after the Federal Reserve launched their new effort to aid the markets by purchasing up to $600 billion of mortgage-related securities in November.
30-year, fixed mortgages are at 5.06 percent, according to financial publisher HSH Associates, the lowest since the 1960s and down from 5.3 percent yesterday. It is the best news in months for anyone looking to lock in a 30-year mortgage.
The average rate on a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage also dropped to 4.92 percent from 5.2 percent last week, according to Freddie Mac.
Local mortgage bankers are already reporting a surge in refinance and home purchase activity as borrowers rush to…
This large two story home is located in Canyon Creek. It was built in 2000 and features 5 Bedrooms and 4 Full Bathrooms. It is on a cul-de-sac lot that backs to a greenbelt. The backyard has lush landscaping including palm trees and a gazebo. This property has the lowest asking price per square foot in the neighborhood and is ready for immediate move-in. Asking $299,900 - Call today! Agent: Jim Olenbush 512-825-5712
As the nation continues to struggle with difficult economic times, the Austin area continues to grow. According to the Austin Business Journal, a new boutique hotel is slated to be built on South Congress Avenue, in an area that is just a half block south of the Congress Baptist Church.
The new hotel, which will be located across from Vespaio and Allen's Boots, will feature 90 rooms as well as two major restaurants. Bill Gurasich, who is the co-founder of GSD&M and is behind the new development, also anticipates adding a coffee house to the new hotel as well as a variety of different retailers.
The site of the hotel, which is being designed by Dick Clark Architecture, is currently owned by the Congress Baptist Church and is currently being used as a…
One of Austin's biggest companies, Dell, has pledged to increase the amount of money it gives to local, national and international causes. In all, the company plans to give 1% more of its pre-tax profits to global charitable causes by February 2010.
According to the Austin Business Journal, the company wants to provide more support in the areas of education and digital inclusion efforts. The company has determined that funding in these two areas is greatly needed in order to create a successful new tech era, which also means focusing on emerging countries where there is a greater need of providing educational opportunities focused around technology.
"The next billion Internet users coming online will largely live in emerging countries, such as Brazil,…
Austin takes pride in it focus on going green and its efforts have been paying off. In fact, the Austin Business Journal reports that the city has been ranked as the 14th greenest city in the United States by the website SustainLane.com. Not only did the city manage to land a high spot on the list, it also moved up one spot from the list put out by SustaineLane in 2006.
In order to rank the cities throughout the country, SustaineLane considered a number of different factors. These included ranking the city's ability to maintain healthy drinking water and air as well as its public transit systems and parks. The site also considered each city's sustainable local economy with green building, its renewable energy sources, its use of alternative…
Despite the general downward trend in the housing market throughout the United States, the Austin Business Journal reports that Texas and other southern states are managing to enjoy a slight increase in sales.
The Austin Business Journal sites a report released by the National Association of Realtors, which indicated tat the total home sales in the United States fell by 2.2% while home sales in the South have gone up by 0.5%. The data, which was gathered in August for the month of July, included a number of states considered to be in the South region. These include:
Are you a nature lover? If so, you will be thrilled by the numerous opportunities to explore nature that are available in the Austin area. Whether you want to take a hike, go biking, of simply sit on a bench and get close to nature, you will certainly find great opportunities to commune with nature in the Austin area. Here is a look at just a few of the great things for nature lovers to do in Austin.
Watch the urban Mexican Freetail bat colony fly from beneath the Congress Avenue bridge at sunset – it is the largest colony of these bats in all of North America!
Spend time at Zilker Park – which offers 351 acres of recreational opportunities. Visit the Nature Center to learn more about Austin’s wildlife or take a walk
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