The West Austin area of Clarksville was originally a freedman's colony for slaves freed after the Civil War. It now has a very diverse population, and this diversity is reflected in the various nationalities of the residents. There is an excellent public grade school in Clarksville, named Mathews Elementary.
Every fall, Mathews holds a carnival on the grounds, which includes the Clarksville...
Austin is one of America's hot list cities. The housing is affordable. The landscape is pretty with rolling hills to the west and fields to the east. The weather is pleasant in the spring, fall, and winter, with summer being bearable, even welcomed by heat-lovers.
The music, art, and film scenes are thriving and growing with new festivals like Austin City Limits and those established...
The North Loop neighborhood in Austin, Texas is a vibrant, yet quaint place to call home. Over the past few years, and throughout the Austin real estate boom, it has managed its increasingly high profile while generally preserving its qualities that make it so unique and desirable.
Situated about 25 blocks north of UT campus, it has always been a safe haven for students and other...
One of the most timely and costly home improvement projects any homeowner can take on is a kitchen makeover. Whether a homeowner desperately needs a kitchen revamp, or is tired of the dated look of the kitchen, there are several options to freshen up the area.
The easiest fix for a sparkling new(ish) kitchen is a good thorough cleaning. Over years of use, kitchen cabinets take on food,...
As the old saying goes, the three most important facts for selecting the right neighborhood are location, location, location. So, what about location? It is indeed a very important fact in the selection of your new home because a really nice, attractive, affordable home in the wrong neighborhood can be an expensive formula for disaster for you. The selection process is a critical key step for...
Though the housing bubble deflated about two years ago, its true effects are only now beginning to emerge. In late 2006, when the economy first began to show signs of weakness in the housing market, most economists predicted that a recession was very unlikely, and that any downturn in real estate prices would be localized and mild. In reality, a global downturn is now a real threat, with the...
I read a post recently where a real estate agent was posting about whether they should leave the real estate profession. The market had slowed in their area and their income stream had decreased rapidly. They worried that if the market didn't pick up soon, they would have difficulty making mortgage payments. It certainly seemed sensible to me.
What surprised me were the responses the post...
In the past I used to tell people to look at different mortgage rates for different loan products and determine what was best for them. If they were planning on moving soon a 5 Year ARM might work. If they planned on staying on the house longer they might consider a 30 Year Loan. I don't say this any longer. Why? Because of recent developments the 30 Year Loan is king. If you can get a 30...
For a long time, Austin has been considered the Third Coast in the film industry, with more filmmakers on the rise in Austin, and more Hollywood types coming to Austin to shoot their movies.
One of the biggest proponents of the up and coming filmmakers is UT's Radio-Television-Film department. Though the film courses are a challenge to get into, with many vying for a slot and low numbers of...
On March 31st, the Treasury Department announced a new plan to help the troubled financial sector weather the sub-prime mortgage storm. This new system replaces some agencies while redrawing the jurisdictions of existing authorities like the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Reserve. In particular, the Fed's role in averting future crises is greatly expanded, a decision that is...
