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As much as I love blogging... work is busy, busy and it is 2010.

Follow me now on twitter instead at: allisonolson

www.twitter.com/allisonolson for all of the latest news and insight on the Austin real estate market and more.

Thanks-
Allison

Swing by my Open House This Sunday from 2 to 4 pm at 12403 Sceptre Cove, Austin, TX

Swing by my Open House This Sunday from 2 to 4 pm at 12403 Sceptre Cove, Austin, TX

Allison Olson | Diane Dopson Properties | 512.694.2251
12403 Sceptre Cove, Austin, TX 78727

OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY 12/13 FROM 2 TO 4 PM!

Wonderful Move-in Ready Home in Milwood!

See Virtual Tour Here

4 Bedroom/2 Bath Single Family House offered at $225,000
Year Built 1982
Sq Footage 2,173
2 Car Garage

OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY 12/13 FROM 2 TO 4 PM! This four bedroom and two bath home has an ideal layout that will work great for any home owner. The great family room has vaulted ceilings and a stone fireplace with gas. The home also features recent tile floors, new carpet (professionally installed in November of 2009),new roof (in August 09), recently professionally painted interior and exterior, updated baseboards in many rooms. Private master suite has 2 walk-in closets and a nice sized master bath with two sinks and updated fixtures~Large utility room with storage (a rarity in Milwood)~Sprinkler system and gutters~Updated fixtures~15 SEER HVAC (energy efficient AC/Heat system)~Solar Screens~Recent Water Heater('09)~Large Backyard with tall privacy fence and mature trees~Great landscaping~Owner's Pride Shows Throughout~Anderson High School~Take advantage of the first time homebuyer's tax credit extension now~ Near Mopac, Domain, Arboretum, and more! 15 minutes from downtown. Call or email to see this wonderful home.


PROPERTY FEATURES- Central A/C- Central heat- Fireplace- High/Vaulted ceiling- Walk-in closet- Tile floor- Family room- Dining room- Breakfast nook- Dishwasher- Refrigerator- Stove/Oven- Washer- Dryer- Laundry area - inside- Yard


Contact info: Allison Olson Diane Dopson Properties 512.694.2251
For sale by agent/broker
Equal Opportunity Housing
See Eflyer Here

Voting today? Here are a few things for which to cast a ballot!

I'm about to head to the polls. First, I need to find out where my new polling place is downtown. I'm hoping it will be the courthouse....

• Are you like me, and you need to know where to go to vote? Click here for polling locations.
• Click here to see a sample ballot for what you may vote on today.
• Click here to see a neutral interpretation of the ballot items, provided by the Texas Secretary of State.

Anyway, I'm heading out to vote for the following, among other things. Now, this election may not seem sexy! But, there are some VERY important ballot items if you are a homeowner or ever plan to be!
 
Here is a summary from the Texas Association of REALTORS in blue that I think it helpful for homeowners:

The Texas Association of Realtors endorses Propositions 2, 3, 5 and 11 which represent significant appraisal reform and protection of private property rights.


Voter turn-out was extremely low during Early Voting at around 2%, so your vote will be even more powerful.

Your vote is critical in this election, particularly because Propositions 2 and 3 have been targeted by a malicious misinformation e-mail campaign meant to prey on the fears of uninformed voters who may not understand the ballot language. Don't fall victim to this campaign. The bogus email has been denounced repeatedly by trusted resources such as the Dallas Morning News and state legislators around the state.


Here's what Propositions 2, 3, 5, and 11 will do:


Proposition 2 - Ensures that a residential homestead property is appraised as a residential property, not a hypothetical value based on “highest and best use.”

Proposition 3 - Allows the state to have oversight of central appraisal districts and enforce uniform appraisals standards across the state.

Note: Neither Proposition 2 nor Proposition 3 would give the state the ability to tax a residential property. Article VIII, Sec. 1-e of the Texas Constitution states that “no State ad valorem taxes shall be levied upon any property within this State.” Nothing in Propositions 2 or 3 change any language that would affect this strict prohibition.


Proposition 5 - Allows two or more adjoining appraisal districts to have a combined appraisal review board to ensure qualified and knowledgeable board members.


Proposition 11 - Provides private-property owner protections by placing in the Texas Constitution clear restrictions on the use of eminent domain, including closing a loophole that allows governmental entities to take well-maintained land on grounds of “blight."


My last thought is... if you do not take the opportunity to vote, you have no right to complain! I'm off to the courthouse. Have a great day!

The Countdown is on! 47 days left to capitalize on the First Time Homebuyer's Tax Credit

Well, it's been a while. My computer had the swine flu, and is doing much better... thanks to my amazing IT guy, Jeff!
 
 

So, what's the latest? I have been logging miles in my buggy showing first time homebuyers. Buyers are on the move... working to capitalize on the first time homebuyer's tax credit. I've had a few blogs entries about it in the past. Here's a link to an old one, and here are...


Things to keep in mind if you want $8000 just for buying your first home:

1) It's not too late. But, you need to get a move on it! Generally, you need about 30 days from contract-to-close to purchase a home. You must close by November 30th, 2009. So, as long as you start looking in the next 17 days and use a Realtor who is on top of things and jumps to help you focus in on what you are looking for, you can find that new home and without settling on a home you are not crazy about. Remember- this is $8000 free money... and you have to live somewhere anyway, right? 

2) Make sure you use a full-time agent who is a licensed REALTOR, meaning he or she is a member of the National Association of Realtors. It also helps to have a Realtor who is an Accredited Buyer Representative. Only 2% of Realtors across the country hold this coveted designation, which requires experience (certain number of closed transaction) and hours of additional education. (Feel free to call me if you aren't already working with someone or shoot me an email here. )

3)  Get pre-approved now with a lender. If you are needing good suggestions of lender names, again, shoot me an email.  A lender can assist you by qualifying you first to make sure you are not looking above a comfortable price range. He or she can also show you exactly what your payments would be on a home, and most importantly, sellers are not even looking at offers right now without an accompanying letter from the lender.

4) Make sure you have not owned a home in the past four years and that you fall into the criteria. Certain income levels cannot benefit from the first time homebuyer's tax credit. Click here to take a look at my past blog that has details and links.

5) If you are thinking about selling, jump on it and get your house listed so you can hopefully capitalize on one of these first time homebuyers!

And, remember... don't settle! But, don't hesitate if you see one that you love because the homes in the under $250,000 price range are going under contract quickly. I hope this helps!

Bring it on... ACL Festival 2009

Check out the ACL Festival Lineup here: http://2009.aclfestival.com/

Also... there will be shuttles running from Republic Park to Zilker so you can eat at my favorite, Garrido's at the bottom of the 360 or check out the 2nd Street District before hopping on over to ACL. Pretty Cool.

Click on the following links for more info... like...

• Who is playing?
• Getting There: Shuttle/Transportation info  
• What can you bring? What can't you bring? 
• Click here to see a map showing the 8 festival stages.
• Finally, weather... how is that looking?

 Are you going? Give me feedback below on what/who was cool.

67 Days Until the $8000 Tax Credit Expires

Heads-up! There are only 67 days left to capitalize on the $8000 Tax Credit for first time homebuyers and buyers who have not owned in the past three years.
Click here for more information on this

Know anyone who is thinking about buying? It is taking 30-40 days right now to close a loan due to new lending regulations.... So, tell them to get on the stick and contact me asap because time is running out.

Click here now to tell Congress to extend this tax credit!  All you have to do is fill in your information and it is automatically sent to your congressional leader(s):
http://takeaction.realtoractioncenter.com/campaign/hbtc?qp_source=dotorg

Thanks to Realtor.org for the photo.

How Austin, Texas Ranks

Curious to know where Austin, Texas ranks in this world?

Well, I do know it is ranked number one for music! We are the"Live Music Capital of the World" after all. I can hear live music every time I sit outside with a glass of wine on our downtown Austin balcony.

Here are some of the many rankings that seemed rather interesting to me:

• ABC News ranked Austin in the top 5 places to buy and sell a home in August of 2009.
• US Bureau of Labor and Statistics ranked Austin as #1 in Job Growth in June of 2009.
• Austin was ranked the 9th fit city by The American College of Sports Medicine’s American Fitness Index in May of 2009.
• US Census Bureau ranked Austin in March of 2009 as the second fastest-growing metropolitan area between 2007 and 2008.
• Forbes.com ranked Austin #1 Best Bargain City in America in May of 2009.
• Forbes.com also ranked Austin as one of the best cities for recession recovery in June of 2009.
• MovieMaker Magazine ranked Austin #1 best place to live, work, and make movies in January of 2008.
• MovieMaker Magazine also ranked South by Southwest Film Festival as one of the top 25 film festivals in July of 2009.
• MSNBC ranked Austin 8th in the best places to live in the US in January of 2009
• The Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate ranked Austin 11th among the Most Attractive Cities for Foreign Real Estate Investors in January 2009.
• Builderonline.com ranked Austin 2nd Healthiest Housing Market in 2009 in February of 2009.
• Forbes Magazine listed Austin among the Top 25 Strongest Housing Markets in the Country in January of 2009.
• The Mother Nature Network recognizes Austin as one of the 10 greenest cities in the country, July 2009
• American Cities Business Journals ranked Austin #7 on the list of America’s Top Tech Centers in May of 2009.
• Austin was ranked #1 on the list of top cities for a fresh start by Relocation.com as of May 2009.
• Crazy about Art? Austin was ranked #15 on list of top destinations in the country for Art by the AmericanStyle magazine readers in April of 2009.
• US News named Austin was of the top 10 places to live in June 2009.
• According to WomenCo., Austin is the #1 city for a career, based on its growth and unemployment rates, average salaries, costs of living and commute time as of May 2009.

 Do you know of any recent rankings I haven't listed? Shoot me an email and I'll add it to the list.




Many thanks to the following websites which helped me compile this list:
http://www.austintexas.org/, http://www.forbes.com/, http://www.moviemaker.com/, http://www.alamotitle-austin.com/,