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        <title>Austin Real Estate Blog</title>
        <link>https://www.austinrealestate.com/blog/</link>
        <description>Austin Real Estate Blog - AustinRealEstate.com - This realty blog covers the local Austin, Texas real estate market, housing trends, new developments, new MLS listings, Austin area news, and relocation info.</description>
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    <guid>https://www.austinrealestate.com/blog/top-5-reasons-to-call-austin-home.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.austinrealestate.com/blog/top-5-reasons-to-call-austin-home.html</link>
        <author>crystal@austinrealestate.com (Crystal Olenbush)</author>
        <title>Top 5 Reasons to Call Austin Home</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
With its laid-back personality, rich culture and trendy lifestyle, Austin presents many reasons to call it home. In fact, the city has so much to offer that it has been awarded numerous titles and has made it to the top of many lists ranking quality of life and the many different variables that make a place a good place to live. To that end, here is a look at the top 5 reasons why Austin is a great place to live.


Reason 1: Employment Opportunities


Historically, Austin has enjoyed an unemployment rate that is significantly lower than national rates and even the rest of the state. In 2010, the Capital City was ranked first in terms of job growth and wages have grown faster in Austin than in any other part of the state. In fact, the city boasted the largest median family income of all of the cities in Texas every year from 2002 through 2007. Furthermore, the Austin metro area is projected to see 2.7 million more jobs added to the area by 2025.


Reason 2: Entertainment for Everyone


Austin isnt known as “The Live Music Capital of the World” without reason. Not only is the city home to the Austin City Limits Music Festival, but it also hosts South by Southwest. The South by Southwest event includes music as well as popular film and interactive exhibits. It is for these reasons and more that the city was named “Favorite Music Destination” by readers of Budget Travel in 2010 and why it was named one of the “Best Cities for Film” by MovieMaker.


Reason 3: Beautiful Nature


In addition to boasting an active night scene filled with cultural opportunities and experiences, Austin is also home to beautiful natural surroundings Lady Bird Lake offers a number of hike-and-bike trails to enjoy, while outdoor enthusiasts love to explore Lake Travis as well as the beautiful hill country that surrounds the city. It is thanks to destinations such as these that Austin has maintained its status as one of the most “fit” cities in the country.


Reason 4: Education is Valued


Austin is known for having many educational opportunities while also being home to intelligent and creative individuals. Not only is the city home to the University of Texas, but it also boasts seven additional public and private universities. The city also has 29 public school districts, 69 private schools and 17 charter schools. With so many educational opportunities available, it is easy to see why 40 percent of those who live in the city and who are 25 years old or older have a bachelors degree or higher. The city was also once recognized by Forbes as the second most innovative city in the United States.According to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, an impressive 2,900 patents were assigned to Austin inventors between 2009 and 2010.


Reason 5: Eco-Friendly Atmosphere


Austin places a priority on creating eco-friendly buildings and programs. For this reason, the city has consistently ranked as one of the “greenest” cities in the country. This is just one of the many reasons why the city has also been regularly been listed among the cities offering the highest quality of life and why Kiplingers Personal Finance has named Austin as the “Best City for the Next Decade.”


With all that it has to offer, it is little surprise that Austin is regularly identified as a great place for everyone to live. Not only is it consistently recognized as one of the best places to live for young adults and singles, but the city also tops the list as one of the best places to raise a family. For anyone who is interested in relocating, Austin is certainly a city worthy of consideration.
 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Mon, 15 Sep 2014 10:29:00 -0500</pubDate>
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    <guid>https://www.austinrealestate.com/blog/new-waterfront-listing-on-lake-travis.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.austinrealestate.com/blog/new-waterfront-listing-on-lake-travis.html</link>
        <author>crystal@austinrealestate.com (Crystal Olenbush)</author>
        <title>New Waterfront Listing on Lake Travis</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
17735 Reed Park, Jonestown - Asking $897,000


Call Crystal Guthrie at 512-422-3452





Lake Travis Waterfront home on DEEP water Expansive views of Lake Travis. The two slip boat dock always has water. Home also available for lease at $5000 per month. This home has a lot of natural light, and has great potential


 





 


Call Crystal Guthrie at 512-422-3452 
 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Tue, 03 Jun 2014 16:54:00 -0500</pubDate>
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    <guid>https://www.austinrealestate.com/blog/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-ecad-ordinance.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.austinrealestate.com/blog/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-ecad-ordinance.html</link>
        <author>crystal@austinrealestate.com (Crystal Olenbush)</author>
        <title>What You Need to Know About the ECAD ordinance</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
When selling your home, it is important to familiarize yourself with the Energy Conservation Audit and Disclosure (ECAD) ordinance. Put into effect by the City of Austin on June 1, 2009, the ordinance requires home sellers to obtain an ECAD audit and to disclose the results of the audit to potential buyers if certain conditions apply.


In accordance with the ECAD ordinance, you must provide audit results to potential buyers if your home is ten years old or older, if it is within Austin City Limits and if it is serviced by Austin Energy. If your home meets all of these conditions, you are required to provide the information to potential buyers no more than three days before the end of the option period. If there is no option period in the sales contract, the audit results must be disclosed prior to executing the sales contract.


Under some circumstances, you are not required to complete the ECAD audit prior to the sale of your home. For example, you do not need to complete the audit if your home is in foreclosure or pre-foreclosure. You are also exempt from the ordinance if you are simply transferring the title of the property to a family member without payment or if the property is transferred in accordance with probate proceedings, a court order of the dissolution of marriage. If you participated in Austin Energy Rebate Programs within ten years from the time of the sale and you either received $500 or more in rebates or you performed three energy efficiency measures, your home is also exempt from the ordinance. Finally, your home is also exempt if you participated in the Austin Energy Free Weatherization Program less than ten years prior to the sale of the home.


Even if you are not planning to sell your home any time soon, participating in an ECAD audit offers many benefits. This is because the audit examines your heating and cooling system efficiency, your air infiltration, your windows and your attic insulation. With the information gained through the audit, you can increase your homes energy efficiency. Furthermore, the audit is good for ten years, so getting an audit now will help cut out one extra step when you do decide to sell at a later date.


ECAD audits typically cost somewhere between $200 and $300 for a home of average size. The audits must be conducted by professionals who are certified through either the Building Performance Institute or the Residential Energy Services Network. These professionals must also be registered by Austin Energy and approved as an ECAD auditor.
 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 02 Oct 2013 16:33:00 -0500</pubDate>
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    <guid>https://www.austinrealestate.com/blog/texas-among-top-states-in-tech-employment.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.austinrealestate.com/blog/texas-among-top-states-in-tech-employment.html</link>
        <author>crystal@austinrealestate.com (Crystal Olenbush)</author>
        <title>Texas Among Top States in Tech Employment</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
While the employment opportunities available within the energy industry in Texas have garnered a great deal of attention, a recent report has found that technology jobs are also growing at a surprisingly fast rate in Texas.


The news about the growth in technology jobs in Texas became apparent after Dice.com, which is a technology job search website, created a list of those states with the fastest-growing percentage of jobs within the technology sector. The final list was compiled after looking at the percentage growth within the technology field over the first half of 2013.


Texas, which has seen its technology jobs increase by 3.2 percent over the first half of 2013, was ranked fourth on the list of states with the fastest-growing number of technology jobs in the country. New Jersey took the top position in the Dice report, followed by Massachusetts and Missouri. The rate of growth among technology jobs in Texas is significantly faster than the states private sector employment growth, which was at 1.6 percent during the same time period.


The growth within the technology field can be attributed to a number of factors. According to the Dice report, the growth has been largely spurred by the significant growth experience within the health care technology field in Houston, financial institutions in Dallas and software companies in Austin.


A similar report released by the TechAmerica Foundation ranked Texas as the state with the second most jobs in the high-tech field. The report also found that Texas ranked second in employment within the Internet and telecommunication services industry as well as second in engineering services employment. The Lone Star State also ranked second in the area of semiconductor manufacturing employment and third in employment within the computer systems design and related services industry.
 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Thu, 26 Sep 2013 16:17:00 -0500</pubDate>
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    <guid>https://www.austinrealestate.com/blog/austin-board-of-realtors-announces-plans-for-new-headquarters.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.austinrealestate.com/blog/austin-board-of-realtors-announces-plans-for-new-headquarters.html</link>
        <author>crystal@austinrealestate.com (Crystal Olenbush)</author>
        <title>Austin Board of Realtors Announces Plans for New Headquarters</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
The Austin Board of Realtors (ABOR) has announced plans to construct a brand new headquarters. The building, which is tentatively planned to measure somewhere between 30,000 and 33,000 square feet, will be located in Northwest Austin in an area overlooking the Great Hills neighborhood.


Cathy Coneway, who is the Chairman of the Austin Board of Realtors, estimates the construction cost of the new building will be between $11 million and $13 million. Coneway has not disclosed the sales price of the 5.2 acres of land upon which the building will be built. Although ABOR has been purchasing several parcels of hillside land over the past several months in preparation for the new building, it did not notify its members about the pending move until after the plans were approved by Austins Environmental Board and the Zoning amp; Platting Commission on September 3.


The address of the new headquarters will be 4800 Spicewood Springs Road. This location will be a more centralized location for ABOR members than the current location at 10900 Stonelake Boulevard, which is near to U.S. Highway 183 and Braker Lane. Prior to this location, the organization owned a building on Medical Parkway. The organization moved to its current location after running out of space at the Medical Parkway location nine years ago.


After making a move to the current location, Coneway says the organization received a great deal of negative feedback from members who were unhappy with the fact that ABOR was renting its space after having owned the previous property. Many members felt that having a lease arrangement was contradictory of the Realtors mission of promoting property ownership.


Plans for the new location started taking shape about nine months ago. At this time, ABOR decided to once again move toward owning its property rather than leasing. Since the organization had invested the money it received from the sale of the Medical Parkway building, it had a sizeable amount of money to invest in a new property.


The new building, which is being designed by STG Design in Austin and constructed by White Construction Co., will feature three auditoriums. It will also boast several conference rooms, a dedicated closing room, a computer lab, a coffee bar, a cafe, a member lounge with an outdoor terrace and a green room where the organization can create instructional videos. The building will also have virtual classroom technology, which can be used for connecting with long-distance events as well as for training purposes. Plans also call becoming green certified and using reclaimed lumber from the old Spaghetti Warehouse for the reception area.


The formal groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled to take place on September 12. ABOR expects to be able to move into the new building in December of next year.
 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 11 Sep 2013 09:15:00 -0500</pubDate>
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    <guid>https://www.austinrealestate.com/blog/3412-serene-hills-court-offered-at-799900.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.austinrealestate.com/blog/3412-serene-hills-court-offered-at-799900.html</link>
        <title>3412 Serene Hills Court - Offered at $799,900</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
An amazing home with 1.7 acres, pool, views, guest house and a professional 1034 sqft woodworking shop. Many upgrades since purchased in 2002 with over $888K in total cost Gourmet kitchen, new hardwood amp; tile floors, new master bath, this house has it all Shop could be used for many purposes: business, office, residential space, manrsquo;s toy storage. In renowned Lake Travis ISD, Hill Country Galleria, Golf, Tennis, Marina all close by and only 30 minutes to DT Austin. nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp;

















nbsp;
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    <pubDate>Mon, 09 Sep 2013 16:21:00 -0500</pubDate>
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    <guid>https://www.austinrealestate.com/blog/running-event-planned-at-austins-circuit-of-the-americas.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.austinrealestate.com/blog/running-event-planned-at-austins-circuit-of-the-americas.html</link>
        <author>crystal@austinrealestate.com (Crystal Olenbush)</author>
        <title>Running Event Planned at Austins Circuit of the Americas</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
HITS Inc, which hosts running festivals and triathlons acrossed the nation, will soon be staging its first Austin event. The event, which will take at the Circuit of the Americas on December 14, will include a Friends and Family Mile, a 5k, a 10k, a half marathon, a marathon and a sprint duathlon. The event will also include a health, wellness and fitness expo.





Registration for the even tis currently open, with registration online forms and additional information available at HITSRunning.com. Registration fees for events are as follows:


• Friends and Family Mile: $10• 5k: $20• 10k: $25• Half Marathon: $65• Marathon: $75• Spring Duathlon: $60


These prices are good until September 13. If you register after September 13, the prices are as follows:


• Friends and Family Mile: $15• 5k: $25• 10k: $30• Half Marathon: $75• Marathon: $100• Spring Duathlon: $85


Prices increase once more if you register after December 8. At this time, the prices increase to:


• Friends and Family Mile: $20• 5k: $30• 10k: $40• Half Marathon: $90• Marathon: $120• Spring Duathlon: $100
 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Mon, 09 Sep 2013 07:04:00 -0500</pubDate>
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    <guid>https://www.austinrealestate.com/blog/british-airways-to-begin-offering-flights-from-austin-to-london-in-2014.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.austinrealestate.com/blog/british-airways-to-begin-offering-flights-from-austin-to-london-in-2014.html</link>
        <author>crystal@austinrealestate.com (Crystal Olenbush)</author>
        <title>British Airways to Begin Offering Flights from Austin to London in 2014</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
Starting in March 2014, British Airways will begin offering direct flights from Austin to London. Not only will this provide Austin residents with a convenient way to visit Europe, but the new route will also have a significant economic impact on the Capital City. This partially due to the fact that the new flight route will make it easier for Austin companies to expand to Europe.


The new Austin to London route will become the first transatlantic flight available from Austin. During the first year alone, the change is expected to add $70 million to the citys economy.


The new flight plan is tied into the proposed expansion to the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, which is expected to add six or seven additional gates to the airport. According to British Airways representatives, the company was drawn to Austin due to the citys strong international reputation. The new Formula 1 and MotoGP racing events being hosted by Austin further helped encourage the company to expand its offerings in the city.


As the new flight plan is introduced to the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, flights will be available five times per week. Daily flights will become available by May 5. The brand new Boeing 787 Dreamliner will be used for the flights between Austin and London.
 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Fri, 06 Sep 2013 14:55:00 -0500</pubDate>
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    <guid>https://www.austinrealestate.com/blog/austin-real-estate-market-update.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.austinrealestate.com/blog/austin-real-estate-market-update.html</link>
        <author>crystal@austinrealestate.com (Crystal Olenbush)</author>
        <title>Austin Real Estate Market Update</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
According to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) report released today by the Austin Board of REALTORS®, the Austin housing market experienced its highest-performing month to date in terms of home sales.





July 2013 Statistics3,135 – Single-family homes sold, 35 percent more than July 2012.$228,250 – Median price for single-family homes, eight percent more than July 2012.41 – Average number of days single-family homes spent on the market, 23 days fewer than July 2012.3,523 – New single-family home listings on the market, 22 percent more than July 2012.6,104 – Active single-family home listings on the market, 20 percent fewer than July 2012.2,773 – Pending sales for single-family homes, 20 percent more than July 2012.2.8 – Months of inventory* of single-family homes, 1.5 months less than July 2012.$933,242,475 – Total dollar volume of single-family properties sold, 43 percent more than July 2012.
 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Tue, 20 Aug 2013 17:32:00 -0500</pubDate>
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    <guid>https://www.austinrealestate.com/blog/austin-housing-market-continues-to-show-improvement.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.austinrealestate.com/blog/austin-housing-market-continues-to-show-improvement.html</link>
        <author>crystal@austinrealestate.com (Crystal Olenbush)</author>
        <title>Austin Housing Market Continues to Show Improvement</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
According to a report released by Metrostudy, Austin home sales continue to rise. With mortgage rates remaining low, the study shows a supportive climate for continual improvement in the Austin housing market.Eldon Rude, who is the director of Metrostudy’s Austin market, indicated that prospective buyers should expect home prices to continue to rise in the Austin area. At the same time, the city is expected to continue to improve in the areas of housing starts, employment and the Housing Price Index, which is a measurement of residential home prices. From November 2011 to November 2012, Austin saw a significant increase in new jobs, with approximately 35,000 jobs added to the city. In its study of 40 housing markets throughout the United States, the Metrostudy report found that nearly 1,900,000 jobs were added on the national level. Housing starts also saw significant growth in Austin, with local housing starts increasing by 30 percent when comparing 2011 to 2012. In all, Austin saw approximately 8000 new single-family home starts in 2012. These figures are expected to increase this year. The study has also shown that consumer confidence has also grown in Austin. With consumer confidence being one of the most important variables in determining whether or not they purchase a home, growing consumer confidence will further help Austin’s housing market improve. For those who are interested in making an investment in Austin real estate, now is a good time to do it. Not only are mortgage rates still low, but rental rates in the Austin area continuing to increase.
 ]]> </description>
    <pubDate>Mon, 18 Feb 2013 13:47:00 -0600</pubDate>
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