Austin once again makes a top 10 list, and this time it’s for being one of the best places to invest. This means you should diversify your retirement and buy real estate in Austin.
Feel free to search for available Austin real estate right here on my site.
For more information on this great news about Austin, see this story:
http://www.inman.com/news/2012/03/23/top-10-markets-invest-in
The City of Austin is considering extending parking-meter hours in the downtown area. This would create more turnover of parking spaces and increase revenue but is is the best option? Let the city know what you think by taking their survey. Â You can also read the background and research on the issue at the city’s website.
The Waller Creek Tunnel Project gets underway today.  Crews will begin renovating a pedestrian bridge in preparation for the project.  While planning has been underway for years, this marks the first visible signs of construction.
Once completed, the Waller Creek Tunnel Project will have removed approximately 28 acres from the flood zone along Waller Creek stretching from Lady Bird Lake to Waterloo Park.  This will be accomplished by building a tunnel that redirects storm water out of the creek preventing overflow.  This will be a huge boon for the area as many developers will be eager to build along this stretch.  Many have compared the project to the San Antonio Riverwalk but with our own Austin flavor.  The project is expected to take about  four years to complete.
As everyone knows, more jobs means more housebuyers. Â As jobs grow, consumer confidence grows. Â So not only will people have more income to spend but also will be less reluctant to spend it. Â Well, fortunately, Austin is once again on the top-ten list of job growth. Â With 14, 300 new jobs in the past year, they land at #6 on the list. Â And if you look at percentage growth, they are actually #1 on the list. Â Hopefully, for the sake of agents and current homeowners this pattern will continue.
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.
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.
I have been making some changes to my Austin Real Estate site recently. One of the things I have done is moved the property search to a subdomain. So from now on, to search for Austin properties go to search.braxtonbeyer.com and continue to go to braxtonbeyer.com for all the real estate news and tips.
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. Â They are continuing to take feedback through their online survey until the end of this month. Â I urge each of you to give your input. Â The Waller Creek development can be a major attraction for our city. Â Let’s make sure we get it right.