When something crashes, except for you on a friend’s couch once in a while, there may be some serious consequences. Glass can fly into thousands of shards (think: patio table getting taken down in the wind). The crunch of metal and glass when cars collide is a distinctive sound and potentially expensive repair. But will...Read More

As it’s the start of a new year, it’s important to know that as a Texas homeowner, you can protest your property taxes. Well pumps, insurance premiums, roofing and property taxes are among the large kinds of expenses which are challenging because they can be expensive and necessary, while seeming not to provide the kind...Read More

Nationally, housing markets saw a decline throughout 2022, despite increasing interest rates. However, it seems, according to those in the know, that a housing market crash may not be happening based on the state of the present market. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus lived around 500 BCE and is credited with saying: “Change is the only...Read More

Are Austin Home Prices Heading Up or Down? We now have a phrase for the past couple of years: The Pandemic Housing Boom. People began working from home in droves. Interest rates were low. The construction supply chain had not yet been severely impacted. And now we have a housing bubble in Austin. Families wanted...Read More

Is the Capital City Still an Affordable Option? The rugged, pioneer spirit that settled Texas and treasures individual freedom dwells richly in the human spirit. The Homestead Act of 1862 offered 160-acre plots for claimants who would live there and make improvements by cultivating the land for a variety of uses. Suburbs grew out from...Read More

Predicting the Future of Mortgage Rates If we had a crystal ball with a reliability factor which could be trusted, we’d happily share the future of mortgage rates in the coming year. We don’t have that kind of glass magical orb, so here’s the lowdown of possibilities. Mortgage rates waft up and down for a...Read More

Austin Ranked as the #1 City for Dating in the U.S. Dating in Austin is akin to the porridge in The Three Bears. One was too hot, one was too cold, and then there was the one which was just right. Austin is not too big, where you can get lost in the shuffle of...Read More

An Alternative to Downtown Austin: The Domain Sung by Petula Clark in her 1964 hit song “Downtown”, the words evoke the allure of going downtown. As frontier towns like Austin, TX grew into cities, their centers offered gathering spots for supplies, meals, lodging, bars, socializing and seeing others and being seen. The same rugged pioneer...Read More

In the old days of just a few years ago, deadlines and dollars in the construction industry could be almost set in concrete and dependable. Today, not so. With multiple challenges having developed in recent months, Austin homebuilding deadlines and dollars must be viewed as hopeful and suggestive and somewhat fluid. Supply Chain Issues with...Read More

The bulk of the revenue stream to operate municipalities and their schools, law enforcement, infrastructure, emergency services, staffing and more comes from real estate property taxes. The task of assessing property value (especially your home value), assigning a tax rate and collecting the money falls to the counties in Texas. Since Austin stretches into three...Read More