Austin Real Estate

Payment Shock: It’s not a Medical Condition

admin — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:41:09 +0000

In the way of the recent mortgage crisis, a new phenomenon has popped on the real estate mortgage market radar. Payment shock is an event that takes place usually from predatory lending. People who are unaware that they are signing onto an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM), a balloon interest loan or some other obscure financial package, are suddenly present with a much higher payment than anticipated. A recent study found that certain social economic groups and ethic groups are at greater risk of experiencing payment shock.

It is important to remember that when you are signing a contract to buy a home, you are entering into a legally binding contract. Know everything that you can about what you are doing. Spend the time to do the research and get sound advice before signing on the dotted line.

For more information on ways to prevent experience payment shock, call the real estate specialists at the Carvajal Group at 512.419.7770.

Selling your Home in a Slowing Economy

admin — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:46:14 +0000

Over the past few months, the housing market has suffered huge losses with little sign of immediate recovery. Numerous defaulted loans have exacerbated the situation, as banks are unwilling to fund new home purchases unless the buyer is extremely qualified. The atmosphere has thus put a stronghold on the market and sellers are having a difficult time selling property. Because selling a home at the moment is particularly difficult, there must be a change in strategy if you wish to move your inventory quickly. Here are a few tips:

Undercut the Market

Price your home at or below market average. The market value of homes changes with respect to what people are willing to pay. Since, at the moment, this amount has declined, you must price competitively to sell.

Use a Competent Agent

Your realtor does all of the grunt work required to move your home off of the market. However, if he or she is not familiar with market sentiments and effective strategy, it will move very slowly.

Offer the buyer’s agent at least a 1% increase in commission

This monetary incentive will motivate buyer’s agents to show the home more often and with more enthusiasm, which will give you an edge on other homes in the market.

Austin Homes Become Handicap Accessible

admin — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:57:16 +0000

The Austin City Council is planning a meeting that could change the way house are built in the Austin area. The council is thinking that they want to make all the new upcoming homes more accessible for those who are handicapped. The council is hoping to pass a city ordinance that will make it required for every home to have some sort of handicap accessibility. The Austin city council is hoping to make the area more desirable for senior citizens and those with disabilities or handicaps.

The ordinance that they are hoping to pass will require all duplexes and single-family homes to have some sort of disability accessibility. The council has a meeting in the next couple of weeks that they hope will completely change the housing construction in Austin. They are also hoping to attract many different types of people with this new ordinance that they will hopefully be based.

For more information, contact Carvajal Group for Austin Real Estate at 512-419-7770.

Ceilings Make an Impact

admin — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:50:02 +0000

If you are looking to sell your home, the ceilings may make a bigger impact than you think. Studies have shown that the more intricate your ceiling, the more it will attract the buyer’s eye. Some real estate agents have said that the ceiling can either make or break the deals.

Although you may not think that this is a very important factor, a ceiling may subconsciously help you decide whether or not you want to buy a home in the area that you are looking at. If you are looking for a home on the more luxurious, a vaulted ceiling with at least 6ft high or more is the way to go. Reviews have said that the better the ceiling may be, the more it might attract a higher paying audience.

There are many different styles of ceilings anywhere from beamed to vaulted to just a suspended ceiling. No matter what type of ceiling there might be, someone is always attracted to one type or another.

For more information, contact The Carvajal Group, an Austin Real Estate Group, at 512-419-7770.

Websites are Changing How We Buy Homes

admin — Fri, 16 May 2008 20:35:20 +0000

I never thought I would say this, but websites are definitely changing the way we buy and sell our homes. The real estate companies have made it so much easier to look at homes from the privacy of our living rooms.

Many Austin home search groups have started to create websites with full views of all of the homes that they have for sale on the market. They also have created ways to search through the homes for certain areas of Austin or certain price ranges for those who are working on a budge.

It used to be that people had to go visit an agent in order to even know what type of homes were out on the market. The agent would then take you to see a few of the homes that they thought would be appropriate for you and your family’s situation. Now all it takes is the click of a mouse.

If you would like more information in your Austin Real Estate search, contact the Carvajal Group at 512-419-7770.