Alan In Austin: July 2009

There are so many great investment opportuinities in Austin for a a ready buyer.

  Region Austin - North Central $ 170,000

FourPlex in Austin. Units rent at between 500 to 600 dollars a month. Each unit is 2 bedroom 1 full bath.

 

 

 

Region Austin - North Central $ 170,000 Also 2/1. Units rent for 600 a month.

Unit Leased Liv Din Bed FB HF G C FP Rooms Furnished Actual Rent UA A Y 1 1 2 1 0 0 Y Kit/Din Combo $ 550 Kit/Din Combo UB B Y 1 1 2 1 0 0 Y $ 550 UC C Y 1 1 2 1 0 0 Y Kit/Din Combo $ 525 UD D Y 1 1 2 1 0 Y Kit/Din Combo $ 550 Tot. Actual Rent $ 2,175 Ten Lse Exp MtoM Showing Instruct Access Deposit Pets/Deposit UA Yes 04/30/10

There are some really great opportunities. If you want to see more contact me at www.roundrockhomes@gmail.com

 

TEXAS NUMBER ONE!

http://www.cnbc.com/id/25447829

There is a lot to love about Texas now given the current economy one of the highlights has to be that unemployment has been kept under 5%. Affordable housing is another great reason to take a long hard look at Texas.

 

Considering a move? Want to check into the market in beautiful Austin Texas?

WEBSITE 

Email me at roundrockhomes@gmail.com

Before Real Estate, my wife and I gave 26 years of our lives to full time Ministry. We started as Youth and Children's Pastors in a small church. In fact the children's group was only about 6 kids and the Youth groups was about 15 to 20. My actually duties included: The church bulletin, Cleaning the church, organizing a children's ministry department and a youth ministries department, leading worship Sunday Evening, handling all followup and hospital visits and soooo much more.

I can't take the credit (that belongs to God) but after two full years we had built that children's department to 150 kids on a weekly basis. Our Youth group (ages 12-18) grew to over 50 and we could not get rid of them once they turned 19. They loved the environment. I am sure we made plenty of mistakes but we really enjoyed those early years. Recently a few of our original youth and children's group members have found us on facebook. Below is an excerpt from one of our children's Church Super Kids who stopped by to say thanks.

"I don't know if I ever actually thanked you for introducing me to the Lord.  With all my heart......THANK YOU for being God's instrument and messenger of hope. Because of you I came to know God at a very crucial time in my life. The hope and trust I have in God has carried me through some very difficult times.  My happiest childhood memories are associated with my "Church Family."  I know how much you and Michelle have always been there for me. Teaching, encouraging, supporting and bringing me laughter and fun. And instead of showing you the gratitude you deserved I probably have given you many headaches. But GOD BLESS YOU and THANKYOU for what it is worth. "

 

                 With loving memories and a grateful heart,

                          Sondra

 

 

 A growing number of people are discovering that trading real estate may work best for them!

 You company is transferring you or you just need to re-locate for various reasons. You have a home to sell and maybe even a lot or an acre of land. You need to buy a home where you are moving. Circumstances are such that trading your property for another one where you are moving woulde work perfectly for you and also for the person whose property you wish to trade for.

So How does it work?

House Trading has all of the same steps as a typical sale and purchase real estate transaction. House Trading is simply where two sellers agree to buy each others properties. Both contracts need to be contingent upon the other one closing to protect the sellers. Both parties using the same title company make the process easier. It is important that escrow makes certain no monies change hands until both parties close.

 

Most frequently ask questions and answers:

1. Do you need a Realtor? The simple answer is YES. Your Realtor is an expert in the market you are looking at, he/she can advise you accurately and in real time on comps for the area, proposed major projects that could affect the value of the property you are looking to purchase, traffic conditions, contrat issues etc..

2. How is the Realtor compensated? If you work with me, I have 3 simple packages for you to choose from and you pay for only the level of service you want. Each package is designed to expose your property to as many prospective traders as possible. In most instances clients may want both to list their property for sale or trade.

3. What happens if my home is appraised for more than the property I am looking to trade for? In that case the person wanting to trade for your property could add cash to the deal or maybe another piece of equally valued real estate.

4. Can I trade commercial property. Yes. It works the same as a purchase.

5. Do I need to own my property free and clear? No. That will all be worked out in the deal just as if you were purchasing the home.

need more information: roundrockhomes@gmail.com

 

 

Friends and Family

 

Each year "Vickie's Kids" provides children and teens with new backpacks and shoes for school.  These are kids that come from low income homes. Every year the need grows and this year we want to be able to help increase the number of kids that will start the school year off with a new pair of shoes. If you are unable to attend the performance but would still like to help - donations can be made to "Light of Christ" and mailed to 3728 top Rock lane, 78661 Round Rock, Texas. Care of A-Z Productions To learn about future A-Z Productions check us out on My Space at http://www.myspace. anzproductions com/

Sunday, August 2nd will be our First benefit        "All You Need is Love" - this will be a Musical Concert featuring live music performed by some of Round Rock's finest youth. The theme will be Beatles music and promises to be an evening of fun. The money we raise from donations and ticket sales will go to benefit "Vickie's kids".

We were challenged by our parents this year to find a way to use our passion for music in a way that would benefit kids and other teenagers. Together with our parents we came up with the idea to create a Production Group that would host 2-3 musical performances a year. The money raised from each performance would go to benefit different organizations to help Kids and Teens.                               

 FIRST BENEFIT CONCERT:

Date: August 2nd AT 7PM at the Teravista Club House www.teravista.com

Map

TICKETS: $10.00 ADULTS $5.00 CHILDREN

www.myspace.com/anzproductions

Thank you for your Support Amanda and Zak Kirkpatrick A-Z Productions

                                                                         

 

When moving across state lines one can become anxious about finding a new home in a new city.  In working with out of State buyers, I have some tips for you that may help.

1. Find a good Realtor. If you are moving to Austin, that would be me. Ha. Actually we have many good Realtors here and your Realtor will be a valuable resource for helping you learn all you can about your new home city. How do you know you have a good Realtor:

-They return your calls, emails and are happy to hear from you.

-They do their best to help educate you about the city and the current market place.

2. Trust your Realtor. It is so hard to trust someone you have not personally met and taken the time to get to know them. Having said that it is not impossible to establish a good trusting relationship through emails and phone calls. I had some clients from California that would put me on speaker phone and the two of them would ask me questions about me, the city, my experience and what I could do to help them.

Go ahead and do your own research but remember your Realtor is working in the current market you are looking into, he/she has a unique real time perspective of what is happening. You see pictures of a home he/she sees the community as a whole. I have had clients ask advice about where to live. I happily offer them the best advise based on my experience and research. They listen, but then something catches their eye an inexpensive property in another part of town close to where they want to be. They insist they want to see those properties too. When they arrive we make the trip. Those properties they chose that I did not recommend, quickly get marked off their list.

Don't waste your time trust your Realtor. Your Realtor knows the community they serve and they are trained to listen to you and what you want and need.

3. Take the time to settle what you are looking for, what you really need in your new home. You are about to embrace huge change, a new city, new schools, new job, new friends and so much more...it will be important that the things that are most important to you get communicated to your Realtor. I had clients from out of state that had more than a few pets: 9 dogs, 3 cats, 3 horses, 3 goats, and a pot belly pig (no joke). They decided after looking at the homes in Austin they could get rid of most of their pets and live in an HOA.

The problem was, that everytime I spoke with them they were taking about their animals. It occurred to me that I needed to find a place for the whole family (pets included). When they arrived we went to see the HOA properties, then we spent a day seeing the ones I picked. Guess what? They fell in love with a 6 acre property fully fenced with barn and tak room and no deed restrictions. Goodbye HOA.

roundrockhomes@gmail.com

Smart buyers start early searching and learning about where they want to live. They know the more information they acquire

  the more confident they will be in making a final choice. Texas has so much to offer for anyone looking for that special place...your own green acres.

   Austin the capitol city sits at the Center of Texas and is the seat of Texas living at its best. Called the Live Music Capitol of the world, Austin offers something special for everyone. Some of the highlights of Austin include:

-Great live Music almost everywhere you go.

-Outdoor living year round, fishing, hunting, boating, jogging, biking, sports of all kinds.

-Affordable Housing!

 

If you want to look a little closer at Austin, Texas just email me at: roundrockhomes@gmail.com

There are many great churches in the Austin area. Two of my favorites are:

THE AUSTIN STONE COMMUNITY CHURCH! AND GATEWAY CHURCH

We currently attend Gateway the McNiel Campus. Gateway is a church that is plugged into current culture. The music is cutting edge, the message practical to daily living. The people warm and friendly! The pastor John Burke has hit the mark in his book...

 No perfect people allowed.

In this book he touches the heart of the matter as to why many people have given up on church or never started a church habit in the first place. If you are new to Austin or thinking about checking out the whole church thing...give it a shot. Service is only an hour and you will not feel like you waisted a single minute.

 

Get Happy! More great News about Round Rock!

 Wednesday, July 1, 2009, 1:51pm CDT

Round Rock is the 2nd fastest growing big city in the U.S.
Austin Business Journal

Round Rock is the second-fastest growing large city in the nation for
the 12 months that ended July 1, 2008, the U.S. Census Bureau said in
its annual population estimates released Wednesday.

The Williamson County municipalitys population grew 8.6 percent over
the year period, making it second only in growth to New Orleans.
Round Rock added 7,800 residents during the year.


With 18,000 people added to its population count, Austin was the 9th
biggest gainer in the country. The Capital City moved from the 16th
largest city in the U.S. to the 15th, moving ahead of Columbus, Ohio.

Texas had the most cities on the list on the top 25 fastest growing
big cities with a total of seven. They include: Denton, Plano,
Lewisville, Fort Worth and McKinney in North Texas and Killeen and
Round Rock in Central Texas.

New Orleans experienced an 8.2 percent increase in its population,
which rose to 311,853, making the city ravaged by Hurricane Katrina
in 2005 the fastest growing city among places with populations
greater than 100,000.

Among other Central Texas cities, Cedar Park ranked as the 54th
biggest population gainer in nationwide and 14th in Texas. Buda was
the 14th fastest growing city of any size in the nation and third in
Texas with a growth rate of 20.7 percent over the year. Hutto ranked
8th in Texas, Kyle 17th, Leander 22nd, and Manor 24th.

Chris Ramser, community planner for the Capital Area Council of
Governments, points out that growth within the Capital region has
slowed only slightly when compared to previous years.

"The recession is undoubtedly impacting growth here, but so far we're
not seeing much effect on our population growth trajectory," Ramser
said. "Overall, annual growth in the Capital Area cities between July
2007 and July 2008 was 3.8 percent, down only slightly from 4.4
percent during 2005 to 2007. Austin-Round Rock is still one of the
fastest growing regions in the United States."

 

Every location has its own flavor and style when it comes to how homes are built. The raw materials used to build homes is often taken form that area. In Phoenix homes were coated in stucco ( a concrete and sand mixture) Builders had gotten

very creative in how they stylistically applied the stucco. There were names for differing styles: Spanish lace, Sandstone and many others.

In Austin builders often use brick or stone for the outside of the home. Texas Limestone is easily accessible. It is a white stone and very pretty. Other colored stones are imported and used as well.

After many years of living in stucco homes it was a pleasant surprise to see the brick and stone covered homes in the Austin area.

 

 

 

Often when looking for a home a buyer will request to look only at those that are 3 to four side brick or stone on the outside. Buyers recognize this will keep their exterior maintenance to a minimum.

 

IF YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT AUSTIN HOMES EMAIL ME AT:

MY AUSTIN HOME