Dianne Bartlett's Lakeway Lake Travis Real Estate Blog

Austin Area Home Buyers Get Second Chance at Tax Credit.  The home buyer tax credit has been extended through April 30, 2010.  Home buyers may find a home and sign a purchase contract by April 30th in order to qualify.  Closing may take place as late as July 1st, 2010.

The original $8000 tax credit applies to first-time home buyers and buyers who have not owned a primary residence the previous 3 years.  The new bill adds a $6500 tax credit for current homeowners purchasing a new principal residence who have used the home being sold as a principal residence for five consecutive years within the last eight.

Wow!  So, what does this all mean?  Anyone can buy a primary residence and get money back from the government!  Remember 10 years ago in Austin when buyers could ask for a $8000 "decorating allowance" from the seller at closing?  Buyers walked away from closing with money in their pocket back then, and with the tax credit, they can do the same thing again.  What buyer couldn't use an extra $6500-8000 when they purchase a home?  The money could be used for decorating, landscaping, updating or simply to help out on the monthly payments.

What is another reason to buy RIGHT NOW?  Interest rates are low, low, low!  Did you know that a 1 % increase in interest rates could cost a home buyer over $45,000 in extra payments over the life of a $200,000 home loan?  Interest rate increases also cause home buyers to lose a chance to buy in a higher price range because they may no longer qualify for the home that they want.

The home buyer tax credit won't last forever nor will low interest rates.  With over 8500 homes to choose from, Austin area home buyers are lucky to have a second chance to buy.

Click here to search for a home now.

Be a Good (Quiet) Neighbor When You Have a Back Yard Party.  I attended a wonderful Halloween party last week in a South Austin neighborhood.  When we parked the car along the street, it was eerily quiet!  In fact, we were walking up to the house and were worried we had the wrong address.

The party host was insistent that we all come dressed in costume.  So when we saw Alice and the Mad Hatter walking up, we knew we were at the right place.  The couple directed us along the caution tape in the front yard to an opening in the fence that led to the back yard.  There, flaps of black visqueen plastic formed a curtain that we parted and walked through.

Then, we walked through a tunnel formed by the side fence and the plastic.  We hunched under spider webs and foliage along a path all the way to the back of the yard.  There, we turned and followed the back fence line between the large plastic sheet and the fence until we finally reached the opening to the party into the back yard.

Wow!  There were 30 costumed folks already talking, laughing and listening to music.  The large, thick sheets of plastic had formed the perfect sound curtain!

We found out later that the owners had two reasons to shield the noise and keep it quiet.  The neighbors were serving as the baby sitter for the young children & babies of party goers.  Even attendees wanted it quiet for sleeping babies.

We stayed until 1pm and enjoyed a costume contest announced by microphone, raucus laughter, a stunt show which included a pocket bike and a pole dancing show put on by Juno & her boyfriend.  There were no neighbor complaints, and when we left the party that was still going strong, we were amazed at the quiet as we walked to our car.