One-of-A-Kind Hide-Away Ranchette!
• 3,514 sq. ft., 3 bath, 5 bdrm 2 story "Walk into home from the top story!" - 
MLS® $369,900 - Great Price!
Lampasas, Texas - ONE-OF-A-KIND, BEAUTIFUL RANCHETTE SITS ON 3.94 ACRES. AMAZING 2-STORY 3514 SF, 5/3.5/2 W/ DOZENS OF UPDATES TO HOME AND ACREAGE! ! FRENCH DOORS OPEN UP TO A WRAP AROUND COVERED UPPER DECK THAT OVERLOOKS A MUCH DESIRED ALL SEASON SPRING-FED CREEK & LOVELY IN GROUND POOL. GREAT PLACE FOR RECREATION WITH ABUNDANT NATIVE TREES & GRASSES, WILDLIFE & FISH! A WONDERFUL CREEK FOR SWIMMING!! WOULD MAKE A WONDERFUL HOMESTEAD OR JUST THE PERFECT WEEKEND RETREAT; DO NOT PASS THIS ONE UP!
MUST CALL LISTING AGENT (Scott Payne 830-613-8812) FOR APPOINTMENT TO SHOW! HOME - FREQUENTLY HAS GUESTS AND CANNOT BE SHOWN DURING GUEST STAYS!
THIS RANCHETTE CAN BE A VACATION HOME THAT PRODUCES AN INCOME WHILE YOU’RE GONE! THIS IS A MOSTLY HANDS OFF BUSINESS! 1ST YR AS B&B MAKING $40,000 IN INCOME THROUGH BOOKING WEBSITE: http://www.mmcreekside.com/. POTENTIAL FOR MORE INCOME NEXT YEAR! HEY, BOOK A NIGHT OR TWO TO SEE IF YOU WANT TO BUY IT! :) LOCATED IN LAMPASAS COUNTY, THIS RANCHETTE IS JUST 5 MINUTES FROM HISTORIC LAMPASAS AND ABOUT 45 MILES NORTHWEST OF AUSTIN. IT IS APPROXIMATELY 75 MINUTES FROM THE AUSTIN AIRPORT AND 55 MINUTES FROM DOWNTOWN AUSTIN. IT IS APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES FROM THE KILLEEN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. WHILE LOCATED ON SECLUDED CR 3010, THIS RANCH IS ONLY MINUTES FROM U.S. HWYS 190, 183, AND 281.
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10.05 acres, All Fenced, Paved road!
• lot / land - MLS® $80,000 - Lots of trees!
SunRidge, Kempner - A truly beautiful place to build a dream home! Ag exempt so taxes this year only $16.74! You just have to see this heavenly place! Close to Lampasas,Kempner and Copperas Cove. Beautiful Trees and open areas make this 10.05 acre property very useful. All Fenced! What a find! FINANCING ISAVAILABLE!!
Property information
If you missed the opening weekend for the Building Industry Association of the Highland Lakes Parade of Homes, you have one more chance! The tour continues this weekend, May 29 - 31. For more information see our earlier
post on the Parade of Homes.
Let's say that you have decided that you are ready for a new home in the beautiful Texas Hill Country. (or any other area in the nation) So, you decide to get online and start searching for the home of your dreams! You have heard that the nationwide listing sites like Realtor.com or Zillow is a good place to search. As you start looking, you find that these sites have as many as 3 or 4 million listings! Sounds great doesn't it?
But, there is one question that you should consider. Do you want to be able to view all of the available homes on the local Multiple Listing Service (MLS} or just part of them? You see, these national sites don't usually have all of the homes listed on the MLS. Sometimes they have most of them, but I've seen stats that show some of them to have less than 40% of the listings in a certain area.
The only database that has every home listed by local real estate companies is the MLS. However, unless you are a Realtor, you can't access the MLS. So, how can a home searcher find the most available listings in the area?
All you do is find a real estate agent's website that has an IDX feed on his website. IDX stands for Internet Data Exchange, which means it is a data feed directly from the MLS. All listings entered into the MLS are automatically fed to the website unless the agent that enters it into the MLS excludes it from the IDX.(why they would exclude it, I don't know - the more visible a property is, the better chance it will sell)
If you would like to see how an IDX works, feel free to Search Hill Country Homes on our website. If you find something you are interested in give us a call at 830-613-8812 or email us. We can help you with any of the homes you find on the IDX feed.
www.besthillcountryhomesearch.com
It's springtime in the Texas Hill Country! If you are looking for something fun to do this weekend, there is a lot happening at the Bluebonnet Festival in Burnet, Texas. The carnival has already started and will run through Sunday. Opening cermonies are Friday April 10th 5:30 pm at the Burnet Historic Square. There will also be street dances, a car show, 5K fun run, parade, air show, a gunfighter's shootout, live music, destruction derby, and much more!
For more information call the Burnet Chamber of Commerce at 512-756-4297 or Click Here for Schedule of Events
As of today (3/19/09), there is a website and telephone hotline,set up by the US Treasury Department to help homeowners refinance or modify their mortgages.
If you need to refinance or modify your mortgage, call 888-995-4673 or visit makinghomeaffordable.gov to see if you qualify.
Also, make sure you check out their page on Foreclosure Rescue Scams.
The 2009 Parade of Homes will be held by the Building Industry Association of the Highland Lakes on two consecutive weekends - May 22-24 and May 29-31. The homes will be open Fridays and Saturdays 10 am - 6pm and Sundays 11 am - 5 pm.
The homes on the tour will range from $200K to $2 million, and be shown in different stages of construction.
For more information call 830-798-2266 or visit the BIA-Highland Lakes website
It's been all over the news for months. You hear words like mortgage meltdown, credit crunch, subprime implosion, banking crisis, and the big R(ecession). Foreclosures are up and banks are in trouble. Everyone is wondering if the Economic Stumulus Plan will fix these things or not.
So, with all of this going on, is it possible to buy a home or refinance an existing mortgage? The short answer is yes, but some things have changed.
Subprime loans are pretty much gone. Stated Income loans (sometimes referred to as "liar loans") will not be readily available, and the same goes for no and low documentation loans.
To get a mortgage loan today, you will need to provide proof of income, have decent credit, and have some down payment money. Although, there are still a few low and no down payment mortgages available, thanks to the federal government.
Federal Housing Administration insured mortgages have down payments as low as 3.5%.
The Department of Veterans Affairs guarantees mortgages with no down payment, and the
Department of Agriculture - Rural Housing Service does not require a down payment.
The Definition of Country!!!
• 2,111 sq. ft., 3 bath, 3 bdrm 1 1/2 story "A True Ranch House!" - MLS® $305,500 - Outstanding Price!!!
Vista Del Rio, Marble Falls - Vista Del Rio (Gated Entrance) Marble Falls PREMIER Horse Community! Convenient to Marble Falls and Austin. Surrounded by native Texas wildlife! The home and property are the definition of country! HUNDREDS of beautiful mature TRIMMED trees all over the 3+ acres so you can see the wildlife. Immaculate home w/ a wrap around porch and gorgeous landscaping! Stone fireplace, unique island kitchen, large dining rm, large office! Good size bed rooms. A sitting room between the two upstairs bed rooms has a vaulted ceiling! 1/2 bath down stairs for the guest! Master bed room downstairs!
Property information
Postage is going up again!
On May 11, 2009 the price of a First-Class stamp will increase from 42 cents to 44 cents. If you use many stamps, you may want to consider forever stamps. They can still be used after a price change, without additional postage. Forever stamps can be purchased at the Post Office or online.
For complete price list or to purchase stamps online visit the USPS website.
The National Association of Realtors has published some great information on the new First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit. Here are some of the highlights: (For more information, see the links below)
First-Time Homebuyer
$8000 Refundable Tax Credit
Refundable - If total tax liability is less than $8000 (or actual amount of tax credit, depending on purchase price and buyer's income) then the IRS will send a refund for the balance
Tax Credit - Every dollar of a tax credit reduces income taxes by a dollar (much better than a tax deduction)
This tax credit does not have to be repaid as long as home is not sold within 3 years.
Home purchase must close from Jan 1, 2009 - Nov 30, 2009.
2009 First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit Presentation
Chart comparing 2008 & 2009 Tax Credits
Frequently Asked Questions
According to Builder Magazine, 5 Texas cities are the "Healthiest Housing Markets for 2009". These rankings were based on population trends, job growth, housing demand, home prices and number of building permits.
Here are the top 10:
Houston, TX.
Austin, TX.
Fort Worth, TX
San Antonio, TX
Dallas, TX.
Raleigh NC.
Seattle WA.
Indianapolis, IN.
Fayetteville, AR
Washington, DC.
Read the full article: Healthiest Housing Markets for 2009
10.05 acres, All Fenced, Paved road!
• lot / land - MLS® $80,000 - Lots of trees!
SunRidge, Kempner - A truly beautiful place to build a dream home! Ag exempt so taxes this year only $16.74! You just have to see this heavenly place! Close to Lampasas,Kempner and Copperas Cove. Beautiful Trees and open areas make this 10.05 acre property very useful. All Fenced! What a find! FINANCING ISAVAILABLE!!
Property information