AustinRealEstate's Blog

Here's the story behind Paul Stephens, one insensitive, stupid, do%@* bag, rookie cop from San Marcos that let a citizen's dog die so that he could write a ticket.

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A San Marcos, Texas, police officer has been accused of inappropriate behavior during a traffic stop which may have lead to a dog’s death.

Officer Paul Stephens spotted driver Michael Gonzalez speeding down Interstate 35 and pulled him over for clocking 100 miles per hour. After a brief pursuit, Gonzalez pulled alongside the highway and emerged from his car, saying, ‘He’s dying.’

…

Gonzalez and his girlfriend said they were speeding because they were rushing their choking teacup poodle Missy to an emergency veterinary clinic for treatment.

But on the video, Stephens sounded less than empathetic as he berated the driver for putting others’ lives at risk as he sped down the highway.

“You’re driving down the highway at 100 per hour,” he said sternly. “It’s a dog, it’s OK. You can get another one. Relax.”

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Ok. If any of you are not a dog owner, then you might not understand the bond that dogs and their owners have after years of companionship. It's strong.

If you think it's "just a dog" then imagine allowing me choose between the life of your mom or my dog.... Of course my dog's gonna live because, to me, your mom is just some random stranger who birthed a total ignorant, retard like Paul Stephens.... get it? Maybe that's a little harsh, but to be so callous of another's loved ones be they a pet or family member is terrible for a police officer.

All I can say is why wouldn't Paul Stephens, put both people and the dying dog in the back of his cruiser and get the dog medical attention. THEN he could write a ticket/arrest the man/shoot the dog or make whatever other "rookie mistake" he wanted to make. Yeah 95 MPH is dangerous, BUT once the car was stopped Paul Stephens didn't need to let the dog die while he reprimanded the driver. PERIOD.

What's worse about the whole thing.. The Mayor and police chief basically dismiss the issue as "not our finest hour" and a "rookie mistake". I think a firing or 1000 hours of community service at the local dog/cat shelter would be acceptable as outcomes.

Here's a petition site that you can visit to share your thoughts.

Good night Mr. Vick, I mean, Officer Stephens. I hope you sleep well in the bed that you made.

Joe Cline
Austin Real Estate | Lakeway Real Estate

Anyone who has driven the streets of Austin has seen the tragic effects of homelessness in this beautiful city. According to a speech by Austin’s mayor, given at the opening of a new complex, specifically designed to meet the needs of low-income individuals in the city, there are more than 4,000 homeless people in the city and only 700 using the beds in shelters. Skyline Terrace has been put in place to meet the needs of some of these individuals.

Skyline Terrace is the third complex of its type in the city. The project was put together by Foundation Communities, Incorporated. Once a Ramada Inn, the 100 units in the building have been converted to permanent residences that can be rented by those who have financial challenges. The project has taken over two years to complete and has been funded by both public funds and private donations. 

These units are not the typical subsidized government rental. There are strict guidelines that must be adhered to for those who wish to rent these apartments. All residents must have some type of income and will pay rent that ranges between $373 and $498 a month. All units in Skyline Terrace are designed for single occupancy only.

Another benefit to Skyline Terrace is that it falls in line with the city’s green initiatives. The building has been upgraded to include solar power, an energy-efficient cooling system and many other environmentally friendly amenities. The benefits to the planet and the people of Austin definitely make this a project of note!

Hope that you enjoyed the post!

Joe Cline

Lost Creek Texas Real Estate | Pflugerville Texas MLS Listings | Long Canyon homes for sale

Here is some statistical data for those of you interested in crunching numbers this house selling season. Special thanks to Alamo title for the statistics.

Joe Cline
Teravista Real Estate | Lakeway TX Homes and Condos

July 13 - July 19, 2008

(compared to the same week in 2007)

New listings down this week 12.04%

Pendings down 76.86%

Solds down 17.10%

 

As for Average Prices:

For July 13 - July 19, 2008 

Sold average sales prices increased 12.29% to $322,010.  In 2007 it was $286,762 for the same week. 

Big plans are in the works and seemingly moving forward for a massive green building project for downtown Austin, Texas. While the project is still in the infancy, the plans are proving to be top level as everything from a new water treatment plant to green residential units are on the table at this time. This project is on track to be the single largest green development in the history of Austin and downtown. Sustainable energy options coupled with low housing prices are driving the project forward. 

The now dormant western edge of downtown Austin is the site that is being eyed, encompassing more than $50 million dollars of appraised real estate. Five individual development companies have pledged their support for the project with the actual figures of how much they will pay still out there. The city counsels plans to meet later this month to discuss the budgetary and financial aspects and move forward with the project. Construction would begin in three years with a completion date as yet undetermined. 

The main focus for most of the development companies working on this green project will be sustained energy. Cotera, one such company, plans to make all buildings in their plan solar powered, essentially turning them into individual power plants. They will also use condensation from air conditioning units to flush toilets and as such greatly reducing the amount of water that is used by the facilities.

Everything combined will create a new version of downtown Austin. Plans for assisted living communities, pedestrian walk bridges and community centers are all in the works at this time.

Hope you enjoyed this and don't forget Austin's Cool House Tour is tomorrow from 12-6pm!

Joe

Affinity Properties | Flintrock Falls Real Estate

For further reading check out: http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/loc
al/05/07/0507green.html

In an effort to help curb the foreclosure crisis across the country several mortgage companies have partnered with a new task force in Texas to give consumers the information that they need to prevent foreclosure.

The aim of this new partnership is to show consumers that foreclosure can be prevented when the proper steps are taken. This has prompted several mortgage companies from around the country to join the push for consumer information. Texas is one of the first stops on the nationwide tour.

The Texas Foreclosure Prevention Task Force is kick starting the event with national press coverage and is urging everyone who is currently in foreclosure or close to it to attend the event. This event is going to give the consumers the chance to meet with representatives from many mortgage companies and allow them to work out positive solutions to the foreclosure crisis.

The task force has stated that double digit increases in foreclosure filings have taken place since last year. They believe that Texas is in a state of crisis on the foreclosure front and they hope to streamline a campaign that will help them get past the barriers that are keeping consumers from foreclosure. The task force hopes that the information and contacts that they are providing will be the push that is needed to ease the burden on both consumers and mortgage companies.

This will go hand in hand with the HOPE hotline which is a free service to help consumers gain access to services relating to foreclosure and financial counseling.

Further Reading Sources: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/storie
s/053008dnbusmortgagebrf.3790cf7.html
http://cbs11tv.com/local/foreclosure.Texas.Foreclosure
.2.679128.html

I hope you enjoyed a bit of news on the positive side!

Joe Cline
Austin Texas Remax Broker
Downtown Austin Lofts | Rough Hollow Homes for Sale

Everyone knows that foreclosures have been running rampant in the residential corner of the real estate market. Homeowners simply have no way of paying their loans and so lose their property. It’s a well-advertised fact that you would have to be shut off from society not to know. But, what about the other parts of the market? What about the retail market?

Sadly, it too is experiencing a considerable amount of difficulty. Builders and business owners - large and small - followed in the past the booming developments, constructing strip malls and similar public structures wherever the latest flood of homes had been erected. Now that the home market is stagnant, so is the retail.

Companies like Linens n’ Things and CompUSA are bankrupt or on their way. And small mom and pop stores are rapidly closing down. The strip malls are being left vacant or nearly so. Those stores that remain have to deal with a drop in foot traffic, relying on devoted regulars rather than new customers lured by glances through windows while completing other errands. Even restaurants have taken a hit. The once invincible industry is crumbling just as all the other ones around it are.

The retail side of real estate isn’t talked about much, but it should be. It is just as affected by the economy as the residential side of real estate and in fact, likely directly affects the homeowner. When businesses stop making money, mortgages stop getting paid. Closing storefronts lead to foreclosed homes.

I hope that you are weathering the recent declining market in decent shape.  It shouldn't be too long before we see a small recovery.

Joe

Austin New Loft Builder | River Place TX Homes

I thought that it might be interesting to take a look at the residential real estate market for the last 30 days within the Austin mailing addresses served by the Austin Central Texas Information System (MLS).  Here are the raw statistics.



What do you think these statistics mean? I've got some thoughts.

We see 325 new listings. Those are just that. New to the market homes ready for sale.

There are 339 price changes, of which, about 10% are increases. Interesting, but most are changes of 100 or 1000 dollars to take the price from, for instance, $179,900 to $180,000.

There are MANY of what can be classified as failures to sell. There were 46 transactions that were terminated and homes that are now back on the market, then there were 40 withdrawn listings in which either the owner or agent decided to take the property off the market, and there are a whopping 235 expired listings for a grand total of  321 FAILURES TO SELL.

Contrast that with the 238 that managed to close and you'll see that right now in the Austin area that for each listing that sells in a given month, 1.25 new listings fail to sell.

That's mildly interesting. Now, consider that Austin has approximately 5500 active listings and think about how long it would take to burn through those listings and you'll see that it is really a buyer's market in a large part of Austin.

Of course, in some areas like Lost Creek, it's hard to find a home. I have a client who has been looking for two months now and nothing has really come on that wasn't snapped up immediately.

If you're selling I hope you're in a great position and if you're buying, now's the time. The market is down and you want to buy low and sell high!

Joe

Cedar Park MLS Listings | Austin New Home Builders

In March 2007, Zach Arnold was deployed to Mosul, Iraq. There, he worked as a truck commander, escorting convoys through the northern part of the country, until, on May 31, Arnold’s vehicle ran over an explosive device. The blast took his left leg, ended his time in Iraq and put him in the hospital for nearly a year. In fact, it wasn’t until recently that he was deemed ready to return home, and even then, many were nervous about the transition. As an amputee, settling into his mother’s Naperville home could have been difficult. Fortunately, thanks to Bradford & Kent, a custom building company in Downers Grove, it wasn’t.

The company remodeled the basement in Arnold’s mother’s house, designing it to meet Arnold’s needs. They fixed leaks, added walls, built a new bedroom and living area, and repainted. They also altered the bathroom, expanding the shower to include bars and a seat. All told, they created a space Arnold can live and function in without difficulty.

The remodel is a part of Bradford & Kent’s new Veterans Rebuild Program, an initiative aimed at helping wounded soldiers as they return from Iraq. The concept developed in July 2007, but it wasn’t until the company heard Arnold’s problem that the first redesign actually began. Then Bradford & Kent were more than eager to get started. They invested nearly 20,000 dollars into the Arnold fix up - a hefty sum but not the least of what they foresee doing: Now that one man has been helped, the company plans on selecting another. And they will continue doing so, so long as there are man and women, like Arnold, willing to risk their lives for this country. It is an unbelievable plan for an unbelievable group of people

 Good news for a change. I have to hand it to these guys for doing something really great for another person. If you know of any builders/groups in Austin doing something similar, I'd love to hear about it.

Joe

Forest Creek Texas Real Estate | Austin Real Estate Blog

 

Westlake Hills is one of Austin's more affluent suburbs, however they do not have a large population. The 2000 federal census indicated only 3053 residents in the 3 square mile community, however the average income was more than 116 thousand dollars. This is a solid attraction for builders and developers to move in and improve upon any unused area of real estate. This is also an attraction for banks. The banking industry is seeking markets who have finanical means to maintain the branches they see. The down side is that for a time Westlake Hills had so many banks that new restaurants and retail shops were not able to open in prime locations.

The lack of taxes being generated through retail and the related establishments has brought a great frustration to the residents, as well as the city government. The non income drawing revenue from the banks has limited what services and opportunities the residents can receive from being a part of the city and raising their families there. It will also force city council members to take positions to cut programs in the long run, so drastic steps were taken last fall to rectify the situation. The council passed a moratorium on new banks to limit further expansion in Westlake Hills.

In the current market Westlake Hills may not see a reduction in the number of banks that are interested or established in the city. As is often the case, banks are not going to move out because the city believes they are over run by them. The best chance this suburb has to see a reduction in banks is through mergers, which could certainly occur.

See the images below for a sample of what this is about. I live in Lost Creek and within a mile radius around my home there are 15 banks!! 15!

Joe Cline, Broker, REALTOR, CRS, ABR

Austin Texas New Homes | Rob Roy Real Estate

Map of the first 10 banks in Westlake Hills


Map of the last 5 banks in Westlake Hills

Right now it may seem that all politicians are doing is campaigning, either for Hilary, for Obama or against them both. After all, the only items you see on the news deal with November’s election and who will and will not be on the ballot. But surprisingly enough, Congress has been doing more than offering (and denying) support. They’ve been trying to help the real estate market and the homeowner, too.             

On May 20, the Senate Banking Committee passed a bill that would limit foreclosures and make housing more affordable, by a vote of 19-2. The move is a response to the building pressure on Washington to do something about the increase in foreclosures and an act that took weeks of debate before it could occur. It would, if it continues to get passed through Congress, ensure $300 million annually for at risk borrowers. It would, along with an FHA program proposed by Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., help stabilize the economy.

Dodd’s plan would create more rights and restrictions for borrowers, while also creating limitations for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Dodd’s plan would be put into action on October 1 of this year and last until 2011. It is similar, although not as long lasting, as an act proposed by Representative Barney Frank, D-Mass.

Dodd is hopeful that his act will be passed in time to be presented to President Bush before the July 4 holidays. What will happen then is questionable, as Bush said he would veto Frank’s bill. The differences in the two, however, are allowing Dodd and his supporters to believe the best.

Joe

Apache Shores Real Estate | Homes in Austin and Surrounding Areas: Austin TX Home Listings

When you sell your house, you imagine that you will make some kind of profit, which you will then use to purchase a new home. That is why you make certain adjustments to the property before listing it: fixing gutters, touching up paint and reworking the yards. However, if those repairs cost you thousands of dollars - thousands of dollars you won’t see returned when the final papers are signed - what is the point? There isn’t one, and that is exactly the problem with the newly proposed energy efficiency ordinances.

Before you’ll be able to sell your house, you’ll have to install energy efficient systems and have your home inspected by city officials. If you pass, you’ll be free to list; if you don’t, you’ll have to keep working. In the end, you could spend an inordinate amount of money that you likely didn’t have available to you in the first place. The steps you take to be granted permission to sell your property could actually prevent you from selling at all. After all, how can you move when you can no longer afford the down payment on an apartment let alone a single-family home?

Austin officials are not thinking. (About us anyway.) They are so consumed with the idea of being the greenest city in the country that they have forgotten the needs of their citizens. We can’t nourish and protect the Earth, if we can’t nourish and protect ourselves. We need funds to survive. Thousands of dollars worth of improvement fees are not improvements, but rather detriments.

If you haven't seen it yet, you can check out the news about the proposed point of sale home improvement ordinance that the city is attempting to pass at www.keepaustinaffordable.org.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, especially if you have an opposing viewpoint.

Joe

 

Austin Real Estate Blog | Austin Real Estate Broker

Ok, ok. This will be my last post about the jobs in Austin and Texas. I can't help but find it interesting that we are doing so well relative to the rest of the nation. Check out these excerpts from the news over the past few days and you'll see what I mean.

Good luck out there and keep your collective chins up.

Joe

Austin Real Estate Blog | Seven Oaks Real Estate in Austin Texas

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Texas Unemployment Rate Returns to Record Low
KTAL Shreveport Fri, 16 May 2008 9:18 AM PDT
(Austin, TX) The April statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 4.1 percent, down from 4.3 percent in March and 4.4 percent in April 2007, once again matching the record low. The 4.1 percent April unemployment rate in Texas remains far below the U.S. unemployment rate of 5.0 percent.

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Disney advertising lab coming to Austin Austin Business Journal

Walt Disney Co. is opening an "Ad Lab" in Austin.

Disney's [NYSE: DIS] media network division says it will be launching a research lab, which will test and assess its networks' advertising strategies and programming, in Austin by the end of the year.

Disney-owned ABC Television Group and ESPN Inc. will be directly involved in the lab. Disney has tapped professor Duane Varan, executive director of the Interactive Television Research Institute, to oversee the lab.

Disney says it is planning to establish a 3,000-square-foot lab in Austin, but has not yet selected a location.

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ePlus Expands Presence in Texas With New Austin OfficeFriday May 16, 8:30 am ET

HERNDON, VA--(MARKET WIRE)--May 16, 2008 -- ePlus inc. (Other OTC:PLUS.PK - News) today announced that it has opened a new office in Austin, Texas to serve middle-market customers nationwide with targeted sales and engineering services. Utilizing Cisco technologies to provide integrated telesales services, ePlus is redefining the customer experience by providing real-time pricing, inventory, searching, and ordering capabilities using its market-leading OneSource IT web interface. In combination with configuration and engineering services provided by its highly trained professional services staff, ePlus will be able to help existing and new customers optimize their IT infrastructures.

The continual talk of the economy’s wavering state probably has you convinced that millions more than usual are unemployed. Therefore, you have, in a mild panic, begun working doubly hard so as not to lose your own job and join the men and women throughout Texas desperate for employment. While I wouldn’t want to curb your effort or encourage you to stop working, you should know that your worry is not as necessary as you would think. 

Yes, statistically speaking, the number of unemployed has risen. Between February and March it increased from 4.1 percent to 4.3 percent. However, a year ago it was 4.4 percent. And throughout the rest of the country, the current unemployment rate is 5.1 percent, considerably higher than Texas’. Some areas, of course, are better than others. The Midland Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) had a 2.6 percent rate of unemployment in March; the Odessa MSA had a rate of 3.0 percent and Amarillo, 3.1 percent.

Fortunately, the slight increase in unemployment has not been matched by a decrease in employment opportunities. In fact, just the opposite is true. In the past three months, Texas has seen an addition of nearly 40,000 jobs, 13,500 of which appeared in March. In that month, job openings in Trade, Transportation and Utilities increased by 7,800, in Leisure and Hospitality by 4,300, in Education and Health Services 2,200 and in Natural Resources and Mining, 1,300. 

This increase in job opportunities is making Texas a solid place to live and grow. As companies relocate to the area, expand their business and develop a larger employment base, Texas will continue to grow, with areas like Austin moving against the housing crisis. This is truly home sweet home.

Joe

Joe Cline works in Austin Texas Real Estate. If you are looking to buy, sell, or lease Austin Real Estate, it would be my pleasure to help. I also work selling Lakeway Real Estate.