The Texas Energy Star Sales Tax holiday is THIS weekend!

Just in from the Comptrollers Office:

Texas' fourth-annual ENERGY STAR Sales Tax Holiday this Memorial Day weekend is a great time to purchase new energy efficient appliances without paying state or local sales taxes on qualifying items.

"When you buy an appliance that is ENERGY STAR rated, you will not only save the sales tax, you will also save on your monthly utility bills by reducing your water and energy use," Texas Comptroller Susan Combs said.

Grow Your Energy Savings The ENERGY STAR Sales Tax Holiday begins on Saturday, May 28, at 12:01 a.m. and ends on Monday, May 30 (Memorial Day) at 11:59 p.m. The tax savings apply to the following appliances and household equipment bearing the ENERGY STAR label: central or room air conditioners priced at $6,000 or less, refrigerators priced at $2,000 or less, ceiling fans, compact fluorescent light bulbs; clothes washers, dishwashers, dehumidifiers and *programmable thermostats.

More information and frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the tax holiday are available at www.texaspowerfulsmart.org. For exemption information on associated fees, please see Delivery and Installation Charge FAQs.

ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy for products that meet strict energy efficiency guidelines. Qualifying products display the ENERGY STAR logo on the appliance, the packaging or the Energy Guide label. Clothes dryers are not included in the sales tax holiday because they use similar amounts of energy; therefore, the program does not label clothes dryers. For details on products, visit www.energystar.gov.

* ENERGY STAR specification of programmable thermostats was suspended on December 31, 2009; however, any existing stock of ENERGY STAR labeled programmable thermostats offered for sale by retailers is still eligible for the exemption.

A pet friendly house

Our client care coordinator, Grady, asked that we share this great article from REALTOR® magazine with 4 steps to a pet-friendly house. As a special bonus, there is a side panel in the article having to do with REALTORS® favorite staging accessories.

With the local temps already in the triple digits, Grady wants to remind everyone to keep their pets cool and well hydrated, and to NEVER leave them unattended in the car!

The May 2011 Housing Trends Report

The May 2011 Housing Trends Report is now available for your review. Check out the report here - and remember - when you talk with someone you like that needs help buying or selling real estate (ANYWHERE!), think of us first, pick up your cell phone, and give us a call!

Uncommon ways to increase your credit score

The all important credit score - it's always changing and the scoring methods are always being adjusted a bit. It's always great to have a few tips on how to increase your score - and this article has 5 uncommon ways that you can increase yours.

Check out the article here - and when it's time to consider buying a home, think of us first, pick up your phone, and call us!

Mean what you say when you make an offer on a property!

You can probably think back to your childhood and remember an adult or mentor or friend telling you that you should mean what you say. That adage rings true when it comes to writing offers on real estate, too.

Often times buyers (and sellers for that matter) request special options be put into an offer, if X then Y, etc. Although TREC's Broker-Lawyer committee has worked very hard to make the special provisions section of the contract smaller and smaller, agents are still trying to stick something in there to modify the terms of the promulgated contract form. You may wonder what the big deal is... this article from bankrate.com does a great job in illustrating why this portion of our forms continues to get smaller. The article also helps better understand how, if you must use this section, to best protect yourself so that your intent is clear and enforceable.

What's the best way to protect yourself in a transaction? Hire a quality real estate professional to represent your interests. You know where to find us!

The 2011 cost vs value report

One of the most frequent questions we get from consumers has to do with the return on investments for improvements made to their property. It's always a great question - and pretty easy to answer with this report. Check it out before you decide to make any major changes to your home. AND, remember to consider using our strategic alliance partners to do the work - contact us for details!

We're looking for an intern!

Cardani Group, REALTORS® has an exciting internship opportunity for a local student.

Know a fun, talented and dependable student looking for great work experience this summer? Send this info on to them!

Cardani Group, REALTORS® is a boutique real estate company specializing in outstanding client representation in residential real estate transactions. We are a fun, energetic, creative group of professionals who believe in giving back to the community and being leaders in our industry.

We are seeking an intern to produce video content for our website. The intern will be responsible for all pre- and post-production for in-house video projects. We want our projects to be polished, exciting, and informative.

Job Description

The ideal intern will be able to work with us to create a shared vision of the scope of these video projects, then independently plan the implementation and follow them through to completion. The projects include client testimonials, agent promotions, and buyer/seller training clips that will be used to support our client education programs.

The intern will gain experience:

-independently planning and following through with the production of videos
-taking both still photos and video of our agents and clients at company events, seminars, and off-site locations
-editing raw footage into a professional, high quality finished products
-establishing and organizing an in-house video clip library for clients, agents, events and seminars
-posting finished video and photos to various sites such as facebook, youtube, blogs, etc.
-pitching ideas for video content that increase visibility and credibility of our agents and our brand
-setting goals for project completion (and meeting those goals!)

Job Requirements

To perform successfully during this internship, the ideal intern:

-is working toward completion of their degree
-has competent editing and technical skills
-has competence using iMovie and associated audio and video editing programs
-has competence of camera operation and audio techniques using consumer level hardware
-is highly creative and willing to work toward creating amazing content for consumers
-is an exceptional organizer
-is highly motivated with an ability to juggle multiple projects
-maintains a reasonably professional appearance
-relates to clients and agents with a positive attitude and enthusiasm for the projects
-has the ability to get to our office at 37th & Guadalupe

Application Instructions

To be considered for this opportunity, please submit a letter (or video!) highlighting your skills and tell us what makes you the ideal person for this opportunity.

You may submit your materials to us at intern(at)cardanigroup(dot)com or by mailing to Cardani Group, REALTORS®, 3701 Guadalupe Street Suite 105, Austin TX 78705.

Questions? Send an email to the above address or give us a call at 512(dash)436(dash)0335.

While there is no direct compensation for this internship, you will be exposed to many facets of small business ownership, be part of a cohesive and fun team, and have multiple individuals that will go out of their way to help you find work and serve as a reference for you in your educational and professional endeavors.

Choosing a paint color

The other day a friend introduced me to Hulu....an online service that allows me to watch most of the programming that I want to see, only on my own schedule. As I was checking out some of the programming options available, I ran across a channel called "Howdini" and found it to be pretty interesting. You can check out the howdini website here.

One of the things that homeowners often ask us is how to go about choosing paint colors for their home. Normally the discussion is something like "how do I choose colors with so many options" with the answer being "well a great place to start is with the room sample brochures at Home Depot and Lowes." Now we can share a great video for our clients to use as a resource! Check it out below.



How to choose paint colors for your home

Remember, when it is time to buy or sell, the professionals at Cardani Group, REALTORS® are here to help. We can also hook you up with discount coupons for Lowes, saving you some money on paint (or whatever else you'd like to purchase there!).

Please, don't keep us a secret!

They way it is supposed to be...

If you've talked with anyone involved in real estate lately, you've probably heard two consistent messages. The first is that business is tough these days. The second is that everything takes longer and a lot more effort than it used to.

Now, I'm not saying we shouldn't put effort in to our business. After all, we're in a service profession and the more effort we put in, typically the better service we provide for our clients. The difference these days is that we're working harder on things that shouldn't be difficult, and due to whatever it may be, ARE difficult.

As you can imagine, when things are difficult, people often start to get more difficult to work with. Clients get frustrated. Agents get frustrated. It's easy to be short and snippy with each other. But that never helps anything.

Difficult transactions are the new norm, and unfortunately along with that often comes turbulent communication and adversary relationships with cooperating agents.

This past Friday...we closed one of the most pleasant transactions in the past several years. I represented the seller. An outstanding professional with another firm represented the buyer. Both of our clients were well represented. We came to terms quickly and relatively easily. The agreement was truly a win-win for both parties.

Then the turbulence began. Not with our clients or between agents, but with the process. An appraiser that made statements that created issues the other agent and I had to combat. A lender that missed deadlines and created new obstacles. Every statement and obstacle created an increase in time and an increase in cost.

You might be wondering why I titled this "the way it is supposed to be" by now... Here's why. The cooperating agent and I worked together to overcome all these obstacles. Never a short word, never a terse moment. We worked together to represent our clients and help pilot them through the turbulence. I can't even begin to explain how fun it is to business this way. Although it is unfortunate that this type of experience is so rare, the good thing is that when you find yourself in the middle of a good experience, you often take a step back and think to yourself "wow, this is REALLY GREAT"... I know I did that several times and I'm confident that the cooperating agent did the same thing.

March Housing Trends Newsletter

Friends - the latest version of our Housing Trends newsletter is available for online viewing.

Check out the latest housing statistics for our area, and see the latest real estate news. Remember, when it comes to buying and selling real estate in the central Texas area, you deserve the professional assistance of one of the fine REALTORS® at Cardani Group, REALTORS®.