Somehow I missed this, but a friend of mine who works in the film industry just told me that Alamo Drafthouse is planning on opening a new theater in Circle C. It will be their largest theater yet with at least 8 screens. It will also be able to play 3-D movies.
Here is the ABJ article from last year.
The Texas Transportation Commission has decided to spend $1.s billlion to move forward on several area road projects. These projects include:
So it appears there is some good news to this mess we’re in. Read the details.
The City of Austin is asking for the poeple’s input regarding downtown districts. Go take the survey and let them know how you think the districts should be setup and used. The survey is open until January 22nd.
Other Realtors might appreciate this:
Austin is #1 on the Forbes list of cities where you get the most bang for your buck. Forbe’s used five factors to determine their list. Here are the factors with Austin’s ranking for each:
Job Growth Projections Rank: 1
Inflation Rank: 24
Median House Price/Median Household Income Rank: 8
Median Income/Cost of Living Index Rank: 5
Gas Prices Rank: 9
Not surprisingly, San Antonio follows on the list at #2. Read the full article to see the complete list.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition recently conducted a study in the 100 most populous metro areas in the country. They analyzed whether it makes more sense to buy or rent in each area. Of the top ten areas where it makes more sense to buy than rent, five of them are in Texas. Austin comes in at number ten. So, all of you renters out there, start looking. With the mortgage rates as good as they are, now is a great time to make that move.
The BBC is running a remarkable story about a beggar from Calcutta who is crippled with Polio and who has spent the majority of her life begging. Laxmi Das, 60 years old, started begging on the streets of India when she was 16.
Unlike many beggars, Ms. Das was wise enough to save most of what she obtained. Recently she took her years worth of savings, roughly 200 pounds of coins, to the bank and opened an account. I think this a great story but what really caught my attention was the fact that the bank said she now qualifies for a credit card. Are you kidding me? Hello! She is a beggar; she has no job. I know banks have to make money too, but this is a bit ridiculous.
Having said that, however, this woman does seem smarter than most of us, having proven that she can actually save instead of spending money frivolously.
Many of you may have heard a commercial on the radio recently by a guy named Armando Montelongo. He is selling his instructional real estate materials. He mentions that he appears on the A&E television show Flip This House. Well you should know that he is not all he is cracked up to be. As they say, Buyer Beware! He has been indicted right here in Travis County for Fraud and has had his own share of foreclosure troubles.
Here are a few mentions of him around the web:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flip_This_House_(TV_series)#Season_Three_2
Flip This Lawsuit is a site containing a lot of information regarding the Montelongos and their relationship with the show and its former cast. This post in particular is very interesting.
Here is an article from the SA Express reagarding his indictment.
One of my client’s home was shown on KVUE last night. I represented him when buying the house. Patrick Easter, who you will see in the clip is the developer who built my client’s home and is placing another one next to it.
The story covers manufactured homes and the benefits they can provide. One of the biggest misconceptions about manufactured homes is that they are all mobile homes and cheap. This is simply not true. Homes manufactured in a warehouse can be more efficient, built faster, and built better than many other homes since they are constructed in a controlled environment. Many people are realizing this and that is why manufactured homes are growing in popularity. Watch the story for more info.
I attended the City’s Waller Creek Workshop recently and was very impressed with the ideas they had as well as changes they had implemented due to citizen feedback. They are continuing to take feedback through their online survey until the end of this month. I urge each of you to give your input. The Waller Creek development can be a major attraction for our city. Let’s make sure we get it right.