As an Austin area homeowner, you might qualify for what is referred to as a Homestead Exemption. It gives homeowners a tax break on their primary residence property tax. Travis County recently made some changes to its Homestead Exemption application requirements, which were effective as of September 1, 2011.
Sep
23
When you’re getting ready to move to or from your Austin home, you might find it easier to use professional movers rather than the do-it-yourself approach. It will probably eliminate some of the hassle and stress of moving while giving you the chance to tend to other things, like traveling, job hunting or handling last-minute details of selling your home and buying a new one. Although a professional moving company can transport most of your belongings and get them to your new home safely, here are 5 things not to send with the movers.
Sep
16
Kudos are in order to the University of Texas at Austin. It was recently named in the US News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings for 2012. In the annual list, University of Texas at Austin came in overall at #45 among national universities. A few of the other highlights include it School of Business ranking nationally at #6. Its graduate and undergraduate Accounting programs come in at #1 in the country, with the undergrad Marketing program at #3 and undergrad Management Information Systems program at #4.
As we have mentioned before on our York Real Estate blog, the University of Texas at Austin is an important part of our community. The Longhorns are part of the Big 12 Athletic Conference and have a strong following by Austin residents. Many of UT’s undergrads live in the area and many of them stay in Austin after graduation. US News & World Report’s statistics show the school is one of the largest universities in the country, with more than 38,000 students. About 80 percent of them live off-campus in Austin and our surrounding communities. Unlike most universities, freshman are allowed to live off campus if they choose, so many of them do that as well.
One of the advantages UT students may find about living in Downtown Austin is that they can ride the Metro buses for free, making it easier to get around, especially if they don’t have a vehicle. It is common for students to rent houses or apartments, especially in Downtown Austin. Some families from out of the area with multiple students may buy condos for their college-age students to live in while away at school, since it cuts down on monthly expenses for room and board. There is another population of students who are local and continue to live at home with Mom and Dad while taking classes.
US News cites the freshman retention rate at 92 percent, with 82 percent of all students graduating within six years. Chances are, if you live or work in Austin, you probably have a Longhorn or Longhorn alum in your midst. If you see them in the next few weeks, you might offer them congratulations on UT’s mention in the US News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings.
Sep
9
If you’re selling your Austin home, it can be exciting to receive an offer — especially when it’s the first one. Try to keep your emotions in check and look at the offer with an objective eye. Ask your Austin real estate agent to run through it with you, especially if there are any points that are confusing. Here are 5 things to keep in mind when receiving an offer on your Austin home for sale.
Sep
2
One of the most important steps in buying an Austin home is securing homeowners insurance. If something happens to your home or the items in it, ideally the insurance will cover damage repair or replacement costs. While we all like to think nothing will ever happen to us or our beautiful homes, most mortgage lenders require homeowners insurance as a contingency to financing. In other words, if you don’t have homeowners insurance, they will not provide funding. They want their investment protected, too.