The following are helpful contacts, articles and websites that could help you with all of your Real Estate needs!

Elizalde Agency of Farmers Insurnance
1804 Chicon Suite #108
512-697-9584 office
512-762-7708 mobile
loreth@austin.rr.com

The Mortgage Loan Expert
David Hernandez
512-515-6100 office
512-736-2043 mobile
david@themortgageloanexpert.com

Mortgage Payment Calculator...Find out what the payments of your house will be!
http://calcnexus.com/mortgage-payment-calculator.php

City of Austin Texas official web site...Great for info on zoning, planning, and all things COA!
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/
 
Capital Metro Light Rail system
http://allsystemsgo.capmetro.org/capital-metrorail.shtml

Austin American Statemen Newspaper and City of Austin Event Guide
http://www.austin360.com/


***Forbes Magazine Real Estate
Best Cities To Buy A Home
Maurna Desmond, 07.14.08, 6:00 PM ET

 

Houston, we don't have a housing problem.

 

The city's $152,500 median home sale price is up 6.6% from 2005. It boasts a low vacancy rate and an oil-rich economy. Throw in a bubbling entrepreneurial tech scene, and you've got four factors that put Houston on the top of our list of best places to buy a home.

 

San Francisco, Charlotte, N.C., Jacksonville, Fla., and St. Louis, Mo., are other areas buyers can feel safe investing in.

 

In Depth: Best Cities To Buy A Home

 

We examined the country's 40 largest metropolitan areas and looked at where home prices have appreciated over the last two years. We also measured tightening vacancy rates. These metrics indicate places where buyers are investing in homes in order to live, not just make a quick buck, and where the housing market is relatively solid. We culled our vacancy and home price information from the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Association of Realtors.

 

The average vacancy rate across the major metro areas was 2.88%, and the average percent appreciation was just .07% over the last two years.

 

With lending tight, we also factored in the spread between a monthly rent check and a mortgage payment at the median level (assuming that the down payment was 10% and the fixed interest rate is 6.25%). Encino, Calif.-based real estate brokerage firm Marcus & Millichap provided stats on median monthly rents.

 

Cities where a mortgage payment was close to, or less than, the average rent were given a higher score. For instance, in Cleveland the average rent is $702, and the average mortgage is $565.78. With a lower monthly payment, tax incentives and the opportunity to build equity, it makes sense to buy here.

 

In stark contrast, San Jose, Calif., has an average monthly mortgage payment of $4,322.33, versus an average rent of $1,612.

 

Lots To Like In The Lone-Star State
Texas dominated our lineup of mortgage-worthy areas. Thanks to a business-friendly tax environment, many large corporations call the Lone Star State home, which creates jobs and tax revenue.

 

The University of Texas campus provides young blood and research-related jobs to No. 2 city Austin. This state capitol is a hip area on the rise. The vacancy rate has fallen by 37.5% in the last 24 months to just 1.5%, despite a lot of building in recent years. And buying isn't much more expensive than renting. An average mortgage payment is $1,022.40, and average rent hits $767.

 

San Antonio, No. 5, and Dallas, No. 6, made the list thanks to affordable housing, which continues to appreciate. In both cities, the median home price hovers around $150,000, and a monthly mortgage payment of around $800 is pretty close to what one pays in rent. If you can pony up the down payment, these are great areas to live.

 

 

 

1. Houston, Texas

 

Houston, we don't have a problem. Well known as an energy industry hub, this growing metro area recently made Forbes.com's Top 10 Up-And-Coming Tech Cities thanks to the Houston Technology Center and bubbling entrepreneurial tech scene. With home prices on the rise by 6.6% and vacant homes disappearing by 11.3% in the last two years, this is one area where buyers can feel safe jumping in.

 

2. Austin, Texas

 

Here, a whopping 98.5% of homes are filled, and that small sliver of vacancy is thinning. Home prices, meanwhile, have surged from $163,800 in 2005, to $183,700 in 2007.

 

A trendy art and music scene--the city plays host to music festivals South by Southwest and Austin City Limits--makes it an affordable place to live for any culture vulture.

 

 

 

5. San Antonio, Texas

 

This Latin-flavored American city is growing fast thanks to bustling businesses and a low cost of living. Having major corporations like IBM certainly helps attract residents who bring brains and tax revenue to the city. With a median home price of $150,900, up from $133,900 in 2005, it's an affordable place relative to the rest of the country. Home to professional basketball's Spurs, this town is packed--just 2.4% vacancy--and full of Texas pride.