Can You Spot The Overpriced Home in a Neighborhood? Hint: it’s the one that isn’t selling. (Ooooh, imagine that – an overpriced home not getting any offers!) You know, the one that has been on the market so long no one even notices the sign any more. Sunday home-shoppers don’t even slow down (they’ve already [...]
Condo Plumbing: Some Things You Need to Know
Condo Plumbing can be a bit tricky. If you own a home (or have in the past), you probably know a bit about plumbing. When you need to work on it, you can turn off the water. Easy Peasy! This is so not the case in many condos! Shared Waters Systems for Condos Condos are [...]
Granite Remnants: A Less Expensive Update for a Small Space
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Granite Remnants Are Often Cheaper If you’ve tried to replace a small counter with a piece of granite, you probably ran into a common problem: granite fabricators don’t want to sell a little piece, they want to sell the whole slab. Or, they want to charge you an arm and a leg for the piece [...]
HOA Rules: Where Can You Park Your Truck in Austin TX?
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HOA rules can foil your plans for making your property unique, and that may or may not be a good thing. Tell us what you think about HOA restrictions in Austin.
Austin Backyard Salvage and Garden: Stuff Your Yard Might Like
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Want to use architectural salvage and reclaimed materials to spiff up your backyard in Austin? Check out Backyard Salvage and Garden in Central Austin.
House Appraisal: How to Find the Value of a Home
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A House Appraisal: Find the Value of a Home How do people find the value of a home? Meaning, what a home (usually their home) is worth? Of the most common ways to find the value of a home, a formal house appraisal is the most accurate. If you REALLY want to know what a [...]
Certified Appraiser vs. Licensed Appraiser: The Difference in TX?
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What is the Difference Between a Certified Appraiser and a Licensed Appraiser in Texas? Short answer: the amount of real estate appraiser education and training, as defined by the Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board (TALCB). Also: the types of properties the appraiser can appraise. The table linked in from TALCB, above, provides the best [...]
FHA Approved Lenders and FHA Approved Homes in Texas?
Where is the list of FHA approved homes? How can you find a home that will qualify for an FHA loan? Read our list on how to buy a home with an FHA loan.
Tilt Shift Lens: Avoiding Perspective Distortion
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Minimize architectural perspective distortion with a Tilt+Shift lens. Watch the video and see examples, diagrams and images to help you improve your real estate photography.
Maya Star: A South Congress Shop to Visit in Austin
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South Congress Shopping: Maya Star We ran downtown this evening after dinner to Austin’s over-the-top costume store Lucy in Disguise on South Congress to get a tri-corner hat for Sam’s school performance tomorrow morning. Yeah, we hate last-minute school-stuff-for-tomorrow errands just as much as you do. Since we don’t get down to SoCo that often, [...]
Texas Ren Faire: Medieval Action at the Sherwood Forest Faire
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The Texas Renaissance Faire in McDade TX, off 290 If you follow 290 from Austin towards Houston, eat a little BBQ in Elgin and load up on the water bottles and sun screen, you’ll be ready for the Sherwood Forest Faire in McDade Texas (Bastrop County). The faire is open for one more weekend in [...]
Shadow Inventory: What it Means for Texas Homeowners
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Shadow Inventory: Defined Shadow inventory is a real estate term that estimates: the number of properties owned by banks, PLUS the number of additional homes that have been foreclosed but are not yet on the market, PLUS properties where the owners are behind on their payments and will probably end up in foreclosure. As real [...]
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