Recent improvements include: interior/exterior paint in 2009, foundation, new carpet and laminate wood floors in 2009, dishwasher and hot water heater in 2009.

Bedrooms: 3           Bathrooms: 2.5          SF: 1,722         Year Built: 2002          Garage: 1          Est. Taxes: $3,465         MLS: 3841156

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Flyer for 12253 Abbey Glen

Spacious floor plan includes large kitchen that opens up to dining and living room. Living room also includes vaulted ceilings and fireplace. French doors in living room lead to covered patio and large backyard with mature trees.

Recent improvements include: interior/exterior paint, foundation, roof, AC compressor, carpet/flooring, light fixtures and counters.

Bedrooms: 3           Bathrooms: 2          SF: 1,327        Year Built: 1978          Garage: 2          Est. Taxes: $2,888         MLS: 9388206

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Flyer for 10511 Robinwood

Located on a street lined with mature trees and gorgeous houses, this duplex blends right in with the rest of the single family homes.

Generating $1,970 in rental income, this property would be great for an investor or an owner occupant looking to offset their mortgage payment. By opening one door, this property could be converted from a double unit to a single unit.

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Flyer for 2705 Cherry Lane

Virtual Tour

Bedrooms: 3           Bathrooms: 2          SF: 1,524          Year Built: 1994          Garage: 2          Est. Taxes: $3,974          MLS: 2115281

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Flyer for 3006 Larson Cove

Austin Rising Real Estate is looking for agents to join our team. We want to bring together a group of diverse and dynamic individuals who have a strong appreciation for real estate, technology and customer service.

Because Austin is a one-of-a-kind city, it needs a one-of-a-kind approach to real estate. The reality is today’s home buyers aren’t approaching real estate the way they once did. Buyers and sellers alike are Internet savvy and knowledgeable about what they want. And they’re tired of dealing with traditional brokerages that don’t understand the needs of the next generation. It’s the future of Austin real estate-and it’s how we do business today.

Our company is not a brick and mortar operation. We’re an online brokerage with a virtual office, and we view the entire city as our work space. We meet in coffee shops, client’s homes and parks. We understand how to work from any spot and still create a memorable experience for our clients. At the end of the day it’s about getting the job done and connecting with buyers and sellers, not sitting in front of your computer.

To encourage agent growth, development, and company collectivity, Austin Rising offers:

Technology. Austin Rising has built a dynamic website that buyers describe as insightful, user-friendly, and comprehensive.  With more than 90% of buyers turning to the Internet to search for a home, it is essential that a real estate company offer the tools to connect agents to buyers and sellers-tools that are not only beneficial in the beginning stages, but also during and after the transaction is complete. As Austin grows and people expect more from their real estate agents, we will strive to be the #1 brand the new generation thinks of when they’re ready to buy a home.

Team. Join a team of individuals that motivate, educate and support each other. Not only will you be surrounded by some of the best agents in Austin, you’ll have access and support from some of the best vendors in the industry. Austin Rising’s goal is to bring together agents that can provide unique experience, knowledge, and points of view to our company and clients.  As Austin grows, and attracts newcomers from all over, Austin Rising’s team will be there to connect new buyers with sellers.

Development. Austin Rising will provide you the opportunity and direction necessary to reach your full potential as a real estate agent. We continually seek out ideas and ways for our agents to grow, learn and educate themselves. With large box brokerages, you’re only a number paying franchise fees, transaction fees, sign up fees, desk fees, education and training fees. Our model is simple. We provide a clear vision for our team, work with the agents to develop a strategic plan, give them the tools to reach their target market and allow them to keep more of their commission to grow their business.

Money. We know there’s no magic recipe for agent success. Rather, a successful sale usually results from a knowledgeable agent who’s able to connect with the right clients and use the best processes and technology to close the deal. The magic is in the agent’s willingness to work hard on behalf of their client. That’s why Austin Rising believes in giving more money back so a good agent can continue to market themselves, generate leads and grow their business. Depending on the agent’s experience, Austin Rising gives 75% to 90% of the commission back to the agent.

Give us a call at 512-297-8242 if you are ready to join a team that is changing the way real estate is done in Austin, TX. If you have any questions, feel free to call or e-mail us at Team@Austin-Rising.com.

The Austin Asian Resource Center is well on its way to being built, according to an update to the Austin City Council Mar. 11 by Schiller Liao, a member of the AARC Board of Directors.

“We’ve been working on it for a decade now and we’ve been working very diligently since then,” he said. “We want to see completion by April 2012 and have a grand opening by May for Asian Heritage Month. We will do every effort to do that.”

The AARC, located at 8501 Cameron Road, would serve the entire community of Austin as a gathering and educational space, similar to the city’s Mexican-American Cultural Center.

Liao described the space as a multi-purpose space where business meetings can take place, especially as a site to welcome business people from China and other Asian countries. It would be also be a family-friendly area with open spaces for children.

“This project is not just for Asians, but it is for all Austinites and for all Texans,” he said.

Voters approved a $5 million bond for the project in 2006. The project has since been scaled down in scope, but still provide a multi-function hall for 600 people, classrooms, conference rooms, a library, art exhibition space and outdoor areas with water features.

The design concept will be LEED silver level certified and will incorporate solar energy, xeriscaping (using native plants that require less water) and rainwater harvesting, among other green features.

“I salute you with the LEED certification. That’s very exciting aspect,” said council member Chris Riley.

Mayor Lee Leffingwell congratulated Liao and other board members on the progress they have made on the center.

“The MACC [Mexican-American Cultural Center] took 30 years, and Phase 1 opened a few years ago. It looks like in relative terms you’re moving in light speed,” he said.

Councilman Bill Spelman also offered his congratulations on seeing the project near fruition.

“I am in awe of your master plan. I look forward to your being able to break ground on this thing in 2012 and I look forward to going here all my life,” he said.

http://impactnews.com/southwest-austin/258-recent-news/7679-austin-asian-resource-center-aims-for-completion-by-2012-

Since the Fed’s mortgage program ends tomorrow and the tax credit ceases 4/30, what will the future for mortgage rates and home prices be?

The recession that wiped out thousands of jobs in Central Texas also erased $6.5 billion from the market value of Travis County properties.

The 5.3 percent drop in values from 2009 was the first decline since 2003, according to preliminary figures from the Travis Central Appraisal District.

The news means tough decisions for local government leaders, who must decide whether to raise tax rates, cut budgets or both to compensate for tens of millions of dollars in lost property tax revenue.

“It means more belt-tightening,” said Travis County Judge Sam Biscoe, who presides over the Commissioners Court. “It’ll probably be some combination of cuts and small tax increases.”

The drop does not necessarily mean lower tax bills for all homeowners. Housing prices declined only slightly last year, despite the recession.

Meanwhile, the commercial market suffered more, with rising office vacancies and foreclosures or bankruptcies for some large properties.

Chief Appraiser Patrick Brown estimated the total market value of the property in the county at $116.9 billion , down from $123.4 billion last year.

“These are predictions, not promises,” said Brown, who is still analyzing the figures before sending out notices to taxpayers in a few weeks.

Residential property assessment increases are capped at 10 percent, no matter what happens to market values, under a state law that cushions homeowners during hot real estate markets.

But the law also requires that assessed values continue to rise until they eventually catch up to market values.

“Many people have been getting assessed values below market for three or four years,” Brown said. In those instances, “many homeowners will see an increase in assessed values, even though market values aren’t climbing.”

The preliminary 2010 valuation is hardly unexpected, given the state of the economy, but declines have been rare for Central Texas in the past three decades.

The last decline was 5.3 percent in 2003 , reflecting the tech bust. That year, the county’s market value dropped by $4 billion, to $71.9 billion. The decline in taxable values was half as large, in part because of the effect of the 10 percent cap.

The 2010 estimate says more about where the economy has been than where it is going.

Last year, home sales fell off across Central Texas, and builders cut back on starting new homes. But home prices only dipped slightly.

Brown credited the $8,000 federal tax credit for first-time buyers and the region’s continued population growth for cushioning the residential market.

The commercial market suffered more. Office vacancy rates continued to rise, with some newer suburban complexes having few or no tenants.

In Bee Cave, the Hill County Galleria went into bankruptcy last May and was sold in January for $75 million — less than half of what developers had borrowed to build it.

“The worst is behind us in terms of commercial values dropping, but the appraised values are reflecting transactions from last year, when they were still declining,” said Charles Heimsath, president of Capitol Market Research , an Austin real estate consulting firm.

Heimsath said the apartment market, where occupancy rates have hovered around 89 percent, will probably be less affected than suburban office buildings and industrial properties, where the rates are lower.

Total property values are not yet available for Hays and Williamson counties, but Chief Appraiser Alvin Lankford said Williamson County’s value might be down slightly.

“There is a possibility of a loss, but I’m not prepared to say how much,” Lankford said. A drop would be the first in the decade he has served as chief appraiser.

Property values in Bastrop County are expected to increase about 4 percent, said Chief Appraiser Mark Boehnke. He credited new development for offsetting any softness in property values.

“If you are in Central Texas, the market was pretty good,” Boehnke said. “I think that’s hard for some people to understand, given what they were hearing on the news” about the recession.

In Travis County, the estimated rate of decline varies among taxing jurisdictions.

The estimated drop in taxable property values — factoring in homestead exemptions and other deductions — for the Austin Independent School District, for example, is nearly 5 percent, while the City of Austin’s decline is about 6.4 percent.

City of Austin officials, who are expected to disclose budget options in a couple of weeks, declined to speculate what the drop will mean.

“I certainly wouldn’t want to be in (City Manager) Marc Ott’s position,” Heimsath said. “He’s going to have to find places to cut in the city’s budget and probably have to make a recommendation to the council to raise the tax rate, and that’s very challenging, particularly in bad economic times.”

At the Austin school district, Chief Financial Officer Nicole Conley-Abram said officials had anticipated a drop in property values. “But it’s certainly not good news.”

All school districts in the county are at the state-allowed maximum property tax rate.

Falling property values also could add to the state’s projected $11 billion-plus shortfall when lawmakers convene next year. Under the school finance formula, state aid must increase as local revenues drop.

lcopelin@statesman.com; 445-3617

snovak@statesman.com; 445-3856

http://www.statesman.com/business/travis-property-values-face-first-drop-since-2003-545370.html

It’s a fundamental question when shopping for technology.

One way technology companies make money is by pushing their latest and greatest gadgets to their most rabid customers—and charging a premium for it for as long as they can.

The question: Do you plunk down early and often to get an edge on competitors who drag their feet? Or, do you hang back and wait for prices to fall–and bugs to appear–before making a move?

Research shows that, for any given innovation life cycle, there are phases of market adoption–that is, when people chose to buy. One well-established breakdown–found in Diffusion Of Innovations,a textbook by Everett Rogers–looks like this:

–2.5% for Innovators (buyers on the “bleeding edge”, who pile in right off the bat)
–13.5% for Early Adapters
–34% for Early Majority
–34% for Late Majority
–16% for Laggards (bargain-bin sifters last to the party)

The big tech outfits would have you believe the Innovators and the Early Adapters have an edge over the Late Majority and the Laggards. I work for one of those big tech outfits, and I’m here to tell you the real answer: It depends.

The short answer: when you’re ready.

http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/06/bleeding-edge-technology-entrepreneurs-technology-mckinney.html?feed=rss_entrepreneurs_entretech