https://www.abor.com/mls/austinregmap.cfm
Austin Area Market Trends:
Click here to download March 2006 Statistics for the Austin Market per the Austin Board of Realtors.
Click here to download March 2006 Statistics for the Austin Market per the Austin Board of Realtors.
Mortgages:
Purchasing a home involved a big financial decision. There are terms that people must learn and of course, the ins and outs of financing a home can set a precedence in the decision making. Interest Rates vary daily and one should check into the current market rates. A great website for this is:
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/mtga/20060504a1.asp
I personally have worked with a lot of mortgage people, and prefer
the companies that have the same work ethic, same responsibility and
same outlook in real estate, our clients are our business and we
want to keep them for life.
http://www.capstarlending.com - Michael Scott is the mortgage
officer
Title Companies:
Title companies are the escrow agents that we work closely with in real estate. They provide the title insurance on a property that conveys to the new buyer. The insurance is just that insurance that the property transfers over to the new owner with no liens or judgments against the property. One of the companies that I work closely with is LandAmerica Austin Title Company. Their website is also a wealth of information concerning taxes, property information and general Austin info. Check it out at
http://www.austintitle.com
http://www.independencetitle.com
Insurance:
Purchasing Homeowners insurance in Texas has been a bit of a challenge after the mold scare. The Department of Insurance has made major changes to impact the industry and thankfully, most companies are now back to insuring homeowners again. There are different types of insurance and one should be aware of the insurance terms when researching it. See this website for insider information:
http://www.tdi.state.tx.us/
There is also an interesting article on http://www.texasrealestate.com/web/TexasBytes/3.cfm
Check out the bigger insurance companies to get quotes. We have Allstate Insurance, Nationwide Insurance and Greater Austin Insurance Company here in town. Compare their pricing before deciding, also check and see whether or not you can get a discount for covering both your car and home with one insurance company, great money saver that way!