April Newsletter is here!

The April issue of my newsletter is now available for download.

I'm curious....who is the next person you know that can benefit from my services? Please, don't keep me a secret!

Tell me what you think...

You know I just can't help it. Every once in a while I have so many ideas that I am just dying to make changes to things...and this is one of those times.

This time the changes will center around my monthly newsletter. As I plan to move toward building my team of Real Estate professionals, the monthly newsletter will change some so that it works for the entire team.

Would you take a moment to let me know your thoughts on a few ideas? Because I know your time is valuable, I'm offering a chance to win a $50 Lowes gift card.


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This might not help you, but it might help someone you care about...

Here’s a quick note to let you know how I can help you or anyone you might refer to me.

Kim and Mark had been married for several years, but now were in the process of getting divorced. They’d cleared all the hurdles in order to finalize their divorce, except the sale of their home. Since this was the last obstacle, both were anxious and wanted to sell the house in a timely fashion.

I helped Kim’s uncle sell his house two years ago and he recommended my services. At our Initial Consultation, Kim and Mark spoke about the importance of a quick sale, as well as receiving fair market value for their home. They also stated it was imperative that they both received enough money for their respective down payments on future residences. Nineteen days after we listed the house, it sold for $7,000 more than their asking price, and Thomas and Christie were finally able to move on with their lives.

By the way - Who is the next person you know who is ready to move into a new stage in their life? Please give me a call to discuss how we can let them know about my services.

Homes from Shipping Containers???

You know that discovering new "green" things is kind of exciting to me, right? Well today I stumbled on a story about homes made from recycled shipping containers. Cool stuff really. I've had this big dream of owning several acres of land someplace and having multiple little buildings tastefully spread out on the land. These would be great little buildings for that kind of use, or a second home, guest quarters, etc.

Check out the full story and let me know what you think!

More work...

We did some more work on the house across the street this weekend. ALL weekend. Mostly cosmetic exterior work.

Check out the progress pics here...Lots more to do, but it sure does look better already!

More painting to do maybe this week, then the roofing guy comes for an estimate...

A top 10 list we're glad we're not on!

10 Unhappiest American Cities

No sun, no jobs and lots of foreclosures. This can be a recipe for unhappiness.

Not surprisingly, some cities whose residents struggle with lots of these issues also have high levels of suicide, clinical depression, divorce and violent crime.

BusinessWeek.com ranked 50 of the largest metros based on their misery and depression levels. The depression scoring is based on insurance reporting. The rest of the rankings come from the National Assembly of County & City Health Officials, FBI crime reports, the U.S. Weather Bureau and the U.S. Census.

While it’s not clear that the recession has made these social issues worse – most of these cities had these problems before the economy headed south – and economic woes certainly can’t be helping.

Here are the top 10 most depressed cities.

1. Portland, Ore.
2. St. Louis
3. New Orleans
4. Detroit
5. Cleveland, Ohio
6. Jacksonville, Fla.
7. Las Vegas
8. Nashville, Tenn.
9. Cincinnati, Ohio
10. Atlanta


Source: BusinessWeek.com, Prashant Gopal (02/26/2009)

Mom and Dad's new house

You probably know that I've been trying to get my parents to move closer. The day when they will need someone to help them more and more is nearing - and I want them to get down here so they can meet people, learn how to get here and there, and feel comfortable in Austin before they get to the point where it would be too much to leave everything they've ever known.

The house needs some work, and Rick and I have been working on it over the last few weeks. We're trying to get some of the outdoor and sweaty stuff done before the temps get too high.

The person who lives there now, Karen, has been very accommodating as we work to improve the property, and try not to make things too crazy for her.

So far we have purchased a new front door - solid wood with leaded glass insert - to replace the plain metal door that is currently there. It's in the garage...but will be installed soon.

Last weekend we spent all weekend trimming the oak tree in the front yard. Yes...ALL weekend. I still hurt. But the property looks so much better. You'll see in the photos that we also removed the shrubs from the front that had been neglected for several years and replaced them with a raised bed. We also replaced the mailbox and made a small bed there for future planting.

You can see a sample of the new trim color that we used on the mailbox stand and the trim around the front windows. The main color is a tad darker, but will still be very light compared to the brown that is there now.

This weekend we'll tear out the bath/shower surround, repair any water damaged studs (that may be a lot of studs!) and re-tile the walls. If we have some extra time before Karen returns we may paint the bathroom, replace the vent, and do a few other assorted mostly cosmetic things.

Still on the list...replace garage door, replace sliding door, replace windows, replace roof, replace some damaged siding, replace fence, remove overgrown tree from back yard, remove metal shed and replace with a more usable shed, replace kitchen cabinets and appliances, install wood flooring, replace patio cover. The list probably goes on but I'm going to stop there before it seems too overwhelming.

Lots to do. Check out the progress pics here...check back every few weeks - you'll likely see more progress... ;)

Know anyone that wants to buy a 3 bedroom, 1.5 bathroom, 2 living room home with two car garage, single garage, full basement and fully equipped beauty salon in Boone, Iowa? Put them in touch with me!

Technology Today

I was thinking about technology today....ya...it's a big thing...but I wasn't thinking quite that big.

So during my lunch break today I had some time to kill before the students came back from their lunch. Homework had already been graded, reviews had already been completed, and I had already shared most of the "more bang for your buck" materials that I planned to share with the group....so...what to do?

I thought it would be fun catch up on Ugly Betty - the ABC show that I really dig. I pulled up the ABC website on my mac - it had internet at the school through a wireless connection. As I was sitting there watching Ugly Betty in High Definition on my computer - it clicked for me that I could probably watch it on the video projector that was also connected to my computer....so I fired up the projector, turned off the lights, and enjoyed Ugly Betty in High Def on an 8 foot wide screen, and fantastic sound ( I take my own Boston speaker system with me when I teach ).

Now...how crazy is that?? I remember back about 20 years ago, going to visit my Aunt Jean. She had a computer and lots of friends she shared software with. She showed me something I had never seen done before - the display of a photo on a computer screen. She had 10 photos. Each was on their own disk. And they were big floppy disks. Do they even make those anymore?

Back in the day that whole photo thing was uber cool....although completely unusable. You just looked at the photo. That's all. Nothing else.

Today...I watched a TV show....for free....in high definition....over a wireless internet connection....on an 8 foot screen....with high quality sound.

Amazing how far we've come, isn't it.

Now...try wrapping your brain around what technology will be like in 20 years from today!

March Electronic Newsletter is here!

Friends - the electronic version of my monthly newsletter is ready to share. Click here to open the PDF in a new window.

When a family member, friend or neighbor needs advice about buying or selling Real Estate in the Austin area, please don't keep me a secret because you want them to get the best possible result and be delighted that you introduced me, don't you?

Record High Affordability

We all know people who say "as soon as I do XYZ I'll be ready to buy a house" - and we know that statement is perfectly legitimate for them. However - there comes a time when we have to weigh the opportunity costs of not taking advantage of the current markets and interest rates.

Lots of agents will say there is never a better time to buy than right now. And that's almost always true. The statement is almost always based on opinion, too. Now we have cold hard facts to support the claim.

This is an excerpt from an article in CNN Money that can help folks wrap their brains around purchasing their first home, or moving to another home.

Record-High Affordability

The National Association of Realtors report the Housing Affordability Index rose 13.6 percentage points to 166.8, a new record high.

A value of 100 means that a family with the country's median income has exactly enough income to qualify for a mortgage on a median-priced existing single-family home. The higher the index, the better housing affordability is for buyers.

The reading shows the relationship between home prices, mortgage interest rates and family income is the most favorable since tracking began in 1970.

"History suggests that home sales can rise even in times of job losses when housing affordability rises," said Yun, adding that he expects sales to turn around by the summer.

I've been having conversations with people where we talk about "wouldn't it have been fantastic if we had done _whatever_ at THAT time..." Well, THAT time when it comes to housing is RIGHT NOW. Give me a call so we can talk about this amazing opportunity!

LED light bulbs

Something that pops in my mind when I think about the whole green movement has to do with compact florescent light (CFL) bulbs. At first I thought they were pretty cool. Neat that we had an alternative, although a little more expensive than a regular bulb, but they're supposed to last for a long time.

Well, now there's another alternative - and it makes me really dislike CFL bulbs, with their difficult disposal rules and the fact that they're made with small amounts of mercury!

LED bulbs last even longer than the CLF version, and use even less energy. You may have noticed a lot of holiday lights have LED bulbs in them. Ordinarily, these are pretty pricey...$20 or more per bulb. They're also kind of tough to find - available more online than at local stores.

Today I happened to go to Sam's Club. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not a real big fan of Walmart....but...that is really beside the point. My mom purchased a membership, and sent her "household card" to me so I could get one as well. Today was the day.

So while I was checking out Sam's Club for the first time in a few years, I ran across LED light bulbs. And they were priced really well. I was able to get two spotlight type bulbs for about 15 bucks, and three globe style bulbs for about 15 bucks. Now...this is really kinda pricey when you can get 3 bulbs for a buck at Dollar General, but in the scheme of LED bulbs - this is a fantastic price.

So far the bulbs have been great. I put one outside on the front porch, two above the dining room table, and the rest in my home office.

So, if you're looking to replace any light bulbs, check these out. They use just a tiny amount of energy, and last for a really long time. In the long run, they're well worth the price!

Exciting Green News

We're there! Clients are now enjoying 100% electronic transaction management and electronic signatures. We've been working on this for a while, and are excited to announce that it is now standard process for all of our transactions.

Here's the scoop on this exciting system...

1- It is complete. These systems provide our clients with a way to have instant access to their transaction, and know at a glance where we are in the buying or selling process. Have we received a title commitment? Are loan docs in? Has the survey been ordered? It's all here in one place, time stamped, with all associated documents attached for instant review.

2- It is easy. Click the link in the email that we send you - and you will instantly be taken to either the online transaction management solution, or to the online electronic signature solution. Both solutions are incredibly easy to use.

3- It's fast. Need to sign a contract? With just a few clicks, your documents will be legally signed, and transmitted back to our office for forwarding to the appropriate people. And remember, you can do this from anywhere in the world with internet access. Traveling internationally? Stop by an internet cafe and sign your documents from wherever you are!

4- We reduce our use of natural resources. Now, all documents can be completed without ever being printed. Want to make sure you have a paper copy for your records? No problem - just click print and you can print a copy. Remember, we maintain electronic copies of your files for 7 years and 1 day - plus, we always provide you with a cd containing an indexed file with printable copies of every single document related to your transaction.

5- We've added these benefits to our World Class Service at no additional charge to you. The same great service just got major new benefits. This is just another way our World Class Service is something you want to experience, and share with the people you like.

So, the next time you are talking to someone you like and they say they are looking to buy or sell Real Estate in the Austin area, be sure and put us in touch with one another!