SAN ANTONIO (San Antonio Express-News) – At least four large Texas cities had increases in the number of home starts during third quarter 2011, according to the latest findings from housing research firm Metrostudy.

Home starts increased 30 percent over the same quarter last year in Austin, 20 percent in Houston, 6 percent in Dallas and 3 percent in San
Antonio.

Jack Inselmann, vice president of the U.S. Central Division of Metrostudy, told the San Antonio Express-News that he expected Alamo City home starts to
increase 15 to 20 percent during the quarter but also said “we’re in good shape.”

Currently, the area has 1,206 completed vacant homes on the market, down from 1,349 in the second quarter.

What are the steps that I need to take to purchase a home? Where can I find a Realtor? What programs are available for first time home buyers?
Are these some of the questions you may ask? Well I have the answers for you! Please come out to the Buyer’s Seminar that I will be hosting
on Saturday, November 19Th from 1:00p – 3:30pm, located at 505 North Sam Houston Parkway, Houston, TX 77060. There will be information provided on
the purchase process, from getting pre-qualified to closing. There will also be refreshments! So please come out or spread the word to someone you know that may be in the process of purchasing a home. This would be the first step to take to start the new year off of getting into your brand new home. For more information, please call me at 832-380-1508.

Are you interested in buying or selling a property? Register Real Estate Advisors hosts seminars on the first, second, third, and fourth Thursday of each month. The first week of each month focuses on Foreclosure Counseling. These seminars look at how to stop the foreclosure process and sell your home as a short sale, how to buy a foreclosure, and buying short sales. The second week of each month is a Credit Seminar. This seminar will focus on credit issues that keep buyers from qualifying for a mortgage and help them correct credit issues so they can purchase in the future. The third Thursday of the month is a Buyer’s Seminar. This seminar is for first time home buyers and repreat home buyers alike. These can be resale home buyers and new construction home sales. The fourth Thursday of the month is a Seller’s Seminar where Realtors will discuss marketing strategies, home pricing, and more with potential sellers. If you know someone that will benefit from a real estate seminar, please forward this information to them. The seminars will be held at 1614 Louetta Rd. Ste I Spring, Texas, 77388 from 6-7pm. These informative seminars will be hosted by Realtors and will sometimes have guest speakers such as Title Company Representatives, Lenders, Inspectors, Appraisers, and other industry experts. We hope you will attend and bring your questions! You can call 281.288.3500 for more information.

If you are looking to buy or sell a home in the popular neighborhood of Terranova West, look no further. Your experienced Realtor who can meet all of your buying and selling needs is Shannon Register of Register Real Estate Advisors. Below is a video of a home I currently have for sale in Terranvoa West. Under the video, you will find all of the homes for sale in the neighborhood. If you need help with a real estate need, please contact Shannon Register at 281.288.3500.

Showing properties 1 - 9 of 9. See more Homes for sale in Terranova West.
(all data current as of 5/22/2012)

1. $200,000 : 17711 Surreywest, Spring
   
   5 beds, 3 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 3,105 sq ft

   Lot size: 9,415 sqft

   Year built: 1984

   Parking spots: 2

   Days on market: 13

   Listed with Heritage Texas Properties
2. $265,000 : 5802 Moss Point Court, Spring
   
   4 beds, 3 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 3,450 sq ft

   Lot size: 14,274 sqft

   Year built: 1990

   Parking spots: 3

   Days on market: 21

   Listed with Prudential Gary Greene, REALTORS
3. $225,000 : 5406 Woodville, Spring
   
   5 beds, 3 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 3,416 sq ft

   Lot size: 13,000 sqft

   Year built: 1981

   Parking spots: 2

   Days on market: 50

   Listed with Coldwell Banker United, REALTORS
4. $164,900 : 5519 Alamosa Ln, Spring
   
   4 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 2,890 sq ft

   Lot size: 9,480 sqft

   Year built: 1981

   Parking spots: 2

   Days on market: 53

   Listed with Texas Home Group, REALTORS
5. $159,500 : 5911 Ashmere Ln, Spring
   
   4 beds, 3 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 2,806 sq ft

   Lot size: 9,000 sqft

   Year built: 1986

   Parking spots: 2

   Days on market: 74

   Listed with RE/MAX Metro
6. $142,900 : 5527 Cobble Ln, Spring
   
   4 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 2,256 sq ft

   Lot size: 11,160 sqft

   Year built: 1981

   Parking spots: 2

   Days on market: 85

   Listed with RE/MAX Vintage
7. $1,600 : 5414 Alamosa Ln, Spring
   
   4 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 2,672 sq ft

   Lot size: 9,480 sqft

   Year built: 1981

   Parking spots: 2

   Days on market: 91

   Listed with Coldwell Banker United, REALTORS
8. $165,000 : 5414 Alamosa Ln, Spring
   
   4 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 2,672 sq ft

   Lot size: 9,480 sqft

   Year built: 1981

   Parking spots: 2

   Days on market: 91

   Listed with Coldwell Banker United, REALTORS
9. $169,900 : 17638 Moss Point Dr, Spring
   
   4 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 3,041 sq ft

   Lot size: 15,573 sqft

   Year built: 1982

   Parking spots: 3

   Days on market: 116

   Listed with RE/MAX Vintage

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.

Mark G. Dotzour wrote an article in the July 2011 Tierra Grande Magazine that discusses the constant changes in the housing market and what indicators Realtors should look for to increase and decrease sales.  Since he writes for a Realtor Magazine, I wanted to share this information with consumers.  He states that most of the year the housing flow is “normal.”  For Realtors, transaction volume ebbs and flows just like consumer demand for homes changes month to month.

Below are some indicators that can predict where the housing market is headed according to Dotzour:

• graduates from college and whether they can get a job;
• marriage;
• having children and needing a bigger home or a
  different school district;
• get promoted and move to another city or another
  neighborhood;
• lose a job and no longer able to afford
  their house;
• get divorced and have to sell the house or move
  into a smaller one;
• buy a second home near adult children;
• need to move into a smaller, one-story house
  with less maintenance;
• reach a point at which they can no longer care
  for themselves and need to move to an assisted-living facility;
• move to the United States from other countries
  to improve their quality of life; or
• move from other countries and buy homes here to
  protect their wealth and secure their safety.

The expansive Midwest flooding that made headlines for weeks this spring is a reminder that every now and then nature plays havoc with
rivers.  Similarly, certain events and circumstances can cause housing transaction volume to rise significantly.  For example, increases may occur when:

• home prices increase fast enough that the
  investment motive spurs purchases;
• prices increase even faster and speculators buy
  homes to flip them;
• prices increase consistently, so people prefer
  to buy now rather than pay a higher price later;
• mortgage rates drop enough that many people can
  afford to buy a bigger house or move to a nicer neighborhood without a
  significant increase in their house payments;
• the government offers tax incentives to
  homebuyers; or
• houses are affordable to a broad segment of all
  households and mortgage underwriting standards are lowered to include a broader
  range of credit risk.

Extreme weather patterns that spawn floods do not last forever.  When they end, rivers return to their normal level within the banks.

At the other end of the weather spectrum is drought, which lowers the river’s water volume.
Transaction volume ebbs, too, when circumstances such as the following occur:

• people are worried about losing their jobs so
  they postpone buying decisions;
• people are worried that home prices will fall,
  and they might lose their equity;
• house prices rise so fast that they become
  unaffordable;
• lenders tighten mortgage underwriting standards,
  and by doing so remove potential buyers from the market;
• appraisals come in  well below the contract price agreed to by a
  seller and a buyer;
• cost of homeownership increases (taxes,
  utilities and insurance);
• lack of liquidity in the market makes it harder
  to sell homes;
• employers reduce corporate transfers to save
  money; or
• random scares, such as radon gas or black mold,
  make media headlines.

As the second half of 2011 begins, buyers all over the country are still skittish because of all the negative housing headlines.  But there is evidence that Texas’ residential
housing market is beginning the gradual, lengthy process of moving back to normal.

Real estate operates in a local market.  What happens in Las Vegas does not really matter to a homebuyer in Abilene.  Each
local market has its own story and its own dynamics.

Dr. Dotzour is a chief economist with the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University.  Although the article was written for a Realtor audience, I thought the information was great for consumers, too!

By Dr. Ali
Anari, Research Economist, Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University

Oct. 25, 2011

COLLEGE STATION (Real Estate Center) – Texas was responsible for 19.4 percent of the total jobs created nationwide from September 2010 to September 2011, according
to the Real Estate Center’s latest Monthly Review of the Texas Economy.

Texas gained 248,700 nonfarm jobs during the period, an annual growth rate of 2.4 percent compared with 1.1 percent for the United States.

The state’s private sector added 281,400 jobs, an annual growth rate of 3.3 percent compared with 1.7 percent for the nation’s private sector.

Texas’ seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 8.5 percent in September 2011 from 8.2 in September 2010. The nation’s rate decreased from 9.6 to 9.1
percent.

All industries except the information industry and the state’s government sector had more jobs in September 2011 than in September 2010. The state’s mining and
logging industry ranked first in job creation, followed by construction and the professional and business services industry.

All Texas metro areas except Abilene, Wichita Falls and Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood had more jobs in September 2011 than in September 2010. Victoria ranked first in job creation,
followed by Corpus Christi, Laredo, Odessa and College Station-Bryan.

The state’s actual unemployment rate in September 2011 was 8.4 percent. Midland had the lowest rate followed by Amarillo, Odessa, College Station-Bryan and Lubbock.

The report was written by Research Economist Dr. Ali Anari and Chief Economist Dr. Mark Dotzour.

—30—

Note to Editors

Additional research information:

Dr. Mark Dotzour, 979-862-6292 (chief economist)

Dr. Ali Anari, 979-845-2094 (econometrics)

Dr. Charles Gilliland, 979-845-2080 (rural land)

Dr. Harold Hunt, 979-847-9021 (commercial)

Dr. James Gaines, 979-845-2079 (residential)

Judon Fambrough, 979-845-2007 (legal issues)

For information on the Real Estate Center, contact Senior Editor David S. Jones at 979-845-2039 (voice), 979-845-0460 (fax) or d-jones@tamu.edu. Or contact Associate Editor Bryan
Pope, 979-845-2088 (office) or b-pope@tamu.edu.

More than 25,000 pages of data are available at the Center’s web site. News is also available in our electronic newsletter, our twice-weekly e-newsletter RECON (with RSS
feed), our weekly Real Estate Red Zone podcast, on Facebook, daily NewsTalk Texas (with RSS feed) and on Twitter. To request a free press subscription
to our quarterly flagship periodical Tierra Grande magazine, contact David Jones at the address above.

At Register Real Estate Advisors, our agents help clients move both locally and around the world.  If you are moving and need a checklist, see below for some moving tips.  This is a great moving checklist for Realtors and Consumers that will help you with all of your relocating and moving needs.

Address Change

• Post Office:
  Give forwarding address.
• Change Accounts, Credit Cards.
• Subscriptions:
  Notice requires several weeks.
• Friends and Relatives.

Bank

• Cancel any automatic payment or direct deposit
  arrangements.
• Transfer funds & arrange check-cashing in
  new city.
• Arrange credit references.
• Safe deposit box.

Insurance

• Notify company of new location for
  coverage:  Life, Health, Fire and Auto.

Utility Companies

Disconnect, refunds for deposits, final bills.

• Gas
• Electric
• Water
• Telephone
• Fuel
• Garbage
• Cable

Delivery Services

• Cancel laundry & newspaper services.
• Change-over services.

Children

• Register in school.
• Transfer school records.
• Arrange for day care.

Medical, Dental, Prescription
Histories

• Ask Doctor and Dentist for referrals.
• Transfer needed prescriptions:  eyeglasses, medications, etc.
• Obtain birth records, medical records, X-rays,
  etc.

Pets

• Obtain all records.
• Ask about regulations for licenses,
  vaccinations, tags, etc.

And Don’t Forget To:

• Empty freezer; plan use of food.
• Defrost freezer and clean refrigerator.
• Place charcoal inside to dispel odors.
• Have appliances serviced for moving.
• Clean rugs and clothing before moving:  have them moving-wrapped.
• Check with your movers about insurance coverage,
  packing labor, arrival day, various shipping papers, method and time of
  expected payment.
• Plan for special care needs for your infants and
  pets.
• Assemble first day items – soap, toilet paper,
  pencils, paper, toiletries, bath towels, utility knife, scissors, trash bags,
  etc.
• Arrange for storage (if needed).
• Find out about tax-deductible moving expenses.
• Obtain all personal records from lawyers and
  accountants.
• Have car checked and serviced for the trip.
• Pack a day or two worth of extra clothing in
  case of delay.

Your New Address

• Check on service of gas, electricity, water,
  telephone, garbage and cable T.V.
• Check pilot light on stove, hot water heater,
  and furnace.
• Have appliances checked.
• Ask mail carrier for mail he or she may be
  holding for you
• Apply for state driver’s license (or just
  address changes if needed).
• Visit city offices and register for voting.
• Register car within five (5) days after arrival
  in state or a penalty may have to be paid when getting new license plates.
• Obtain inspection sticker and transfer motor
  club membership.
• Arrange for medical services:  doctor, dentist, veterinarian, etc.

Our Friends at North American Title Company gave us these ideas!

COLLEGE STATION (Real Estate Center) – Sales of existing single-family Texas homes in September were up 14 percent from a year ago, according to the most
recent Multiple Listing Services (MLS) data compiled by the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University.

More than 17,600 existing single-family homes were sold, data showed.

The median home price was $149,100, up 2 percent from a year ago, and the state’s overall inventory was at 7.1 months.

September 2011 MLS data for many Texas cities are available on the Center’s website. Here is a sampling (data current as of Oct. 27, 2011):

The kitchen is a focal point in your home, it’s a place where family and guests gather. So a major remodel should be as much of a lifestyle choice as it is an investment. A good rule of thumb is to keep the cost around 15% of your home value. As for your return, think in terms of recouping your expenses instead of how much can you make. Consider it a victory when you get 100% of your investment back, but most likely, that won’t be the case. 70% +/- of your investment is the more likely scenario.

If you are only doing the updates for resale purposes, the better option would be too deep clean, paint and change the appliances and faucets. Sweat equity is a real plus. For most, cleaning and painting is something they can do, good quality appliances are reasonably priced and relatively easy to replace. Most appliance retailers will deliver and install for a low fee. This kind of updating could see a return of as much as 150% of your investment. With either of these approaches, at the very least your home will likely sell faster and closer to your asking price.

I want to remind sellers about the home sale exclusion tax break in the IRS Code.  If you have owned a home and used it as a primary
residence for 24 months out of the last 60 months, and then you sell it, all the gain is tax free.  So, if you made a $35,000 profit, you would
NOT have to pay the $9,450 capital gain tax like you would have to on any other income.  What if you are a seller with a primary residence and need to sell but have lived there for less than two years?  Can you still get this tax credit?   If you had to move out of a house before the 2 years were up because of an unforeseen circumstance, then you can still get a partial tax break through a loop hole in the home exclusion tax break in the IRA Code.   What qualifies as an unforeseen circumstance?  An unforeseen circumstance would be a natural disaster, a change in employment, becoming self-employed, divorce or legal separation, and even multiple births from the same pregnancy.   So even if you are promoted or demoted at work, you can sell your house and take a partial tax break even if you have not lived in your primary residence for two years.  The same holds true if you start or discontinue self-employment.  So if your home has increased in value and you have lived there for less than two years, you could start up a tiny home based business just to qualify for this home sale exclusion tax break.  It’s that easy!  Now you don’t have to pay all that capital gains tax.  With any financial decision, you should consult your accountant.  This information is meant as a guide to help you in your real estate decisions.  We have many highly trained Realtors at RREA that are ready to help you with all of your real estate needs.  Call today to get started – 281.288.3500.