Uh-oh, S.A. renters. Watch for ‘aggressive’ price hikes

Uh-oh, S.A. renters. Watch for ‘aggressive’ price hikes

 

Look out, San Antonio renters. Rents may be on the rise, and more than usual.
There’s a really interesting blog post this week from Greg Willett at Property Management Insider. He breaks down the evolution of the San Antonio apartment market. Willett writes:

“Effective rents for new leases in San Antonio jumped 4.6 percent during calendar 2011, more than doubling the historical norm even though current occupancy of 92.9 percent is virtually identical to the past average.”

Why?

Willett says it’s all about nice, new product and out-of-town owners. Nicer apartments have been popping up. And the owners are used to markets “where aggressively pushing rents is the norm, rather than the exception.” So say goodbye to the 2 percent per year rent increases that have been more typical.

He writes:

“In the future, then, don’t be surprised if San Antonio rent change proves a little more substantial than it has in past periods of comparable occupancy.”

See if you qualify for a home:  Visit www.TorresRealtyGroup.com

7 Uber-Helpful Mobile Apps for House Hunters

TRG :: Techie Report

 

 

The once-funny statement that “there’s an app for that”  is now true much more often than not. With close to 1 million mobile apps available for download, it can be an overwhelming task to sort out the truly useful from those that are simply entertaining - not to mention those that are just plain silly.

So, I’ve done some homework for you! Here’s a short list of mobile apps I think you’ll find super useful for saving time, making smart decisions and keeping you organized while you’re hunting for your next home.

1. Genius Scan
What it does: Puts a document scanner in your pocket. Enables you to use your phone’s camera to take a picture of a document, then email it to anyone in PDF or JPEG format.

Why it’s useful: Many real estate agents now use digital document signature software which allow you to sign with a click and, more importantly, without faxing documents back and forth. But some don’t - and some mortgage lenders will simply not accept anything but a copy or scan of your ‘wet ink’ signature.

Throughout your transaction, you might find yourself needing to scan and email your contract documents with your original signature, a copy of your deposit check, new payroll check stubs as you receive them, your driver’s license, a gift letter from your Auntie Grace or any of a number of other documents you’ll need to get to your agent or mortgage pro across town - or across the country. Having the ability to scan documents and checks and email them right from your phone can save you a lot of time and hassle - not to mention gas and cash.

Works with: iOS
Price: Free
Android Alternative: Document Scanner (Free 7-day trial/$3.98 for full version.)

2. Dictionary of Real Estate Terms
What it does: Translates the vast universe of real estate jargon and acronyms into plain English, putting a decoder at your fingertips for easy reference any time you need it during your house hunt or transaction. The Dictionary includes over 3,000 real estate terms, charts and graphs. You can save your searches and email terms to others. Your phone does not have to be connected to the Internet to use the Dictionary, which can be useful if you need to look up a term on an inspection or appraisal report while you’re in a home or office where you don’t have a great connection.

Why it’s useful: I can guarantee few things in life, but one thing I do feel comfortable assuring you is that home buying will expose you to terms you have never heard before. You need to know what the terms used in your inspection, disclosure, contract and loan documents mean, and sometimes looking them up is the best way to do that.

Works with: iOS and Android
Price: $1.99 (iOS) and 99 cents (Android)

3. House Hunter
What it does: Helps you organize your house-hunting notes and priorities so you can more easily remember and compare the homes you’ve seen. The app also helps you evaluate the homes you’ve seen by providing a scorecard that weighs features against what you’ve identified as requirements and priorities. It includes a mortgage calculator, photo storage, and a feature that allows you to share your notes with your agent, among other bells and whistles.

Why it’s useful: After you see about five houses, they can all blend together. This app helps you keep it all straight, while also keeping you mindful of what your original priorities were and how the homes you see measure up against them.

Works with: iOS
Price: $3.99

4. SpringPad
What it does: Helps you keep track of any and every thing you want to remember in a digital notebook you can access from anywhere, on any device. You can:

• scan barcodes of home furnishings, appliances and other items you want to buy after you move;
• save ideas, property addresses, online clippings from design and news sites, photos from decor mags and to do lists from your mortgage broker;
• categorize all these things - and more - by house hunt, mortgage and escrow, moving, and decorating; and
• set reminders, share your notes with your agent or even get an email alert when the duvet you want goes on sale.

All without a single scrap of paper!

Why it’s useful: Empowers you to organize the hundreds of elements of your home buying adventure into a single spot and access it wherever you are - without carrying a bulky, messy binder or folder around.

Works with: iOS and Android
Price: Free

5. ColorSnap
What it does: Allows you to take a picture with your phone’s camera from anything in the world that inspires you, then discover the corresponding Sherwin-Williams paint color.

Why it’s useful: If you see a wall color you love in a home you, well, don’t like too much otherwise, you can capture the color and replicate that once you do find your dream home. Same goes for if you come across any other item in a color you love and would like to incorporate into your design scheme.

Works with: iOS and Android
Price: Free

6. Karl’s Mortgage Calculator
What it does: Calculates mortgage payments using the principal loan amount, interest and term (and can solve for any of these if you input the other three variables). This app also gives you a more precise idea of what your total monthly expenses will be on a given home by factoring in line items other calculators leave out, like mortgage insurance, homeowners association dues, property taxes and homeowners’ insurance. You can also see what kind of savings you might be able to achieve - and how early you can pay your mortgage off - by running scenarios that add in extra loan payments.

Why it’s useful: Having this mortgage calculator handy during your house-hunting adventures will enable you to quickly calculate how a given increase in your offer price will change your monthly payment.

Works with: Android
Price: Free
iOS alternative: Mortgage Calculator Pro (99 cents)

7. Trulia Real Estate App
What it does: SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT. Seriously, no mobile app list for home buyers would be complete without the Trulia app. It uses your phone’s GPS function to serve you up nearby listings and their details if you happen to find yourself in a neighborhood you love, or in front of a home with a for sale sign - but no flyers! The Trulia app also finds the banks, restaurants and gas stations near any given listing, and can even create instant heat maps showing neighborhood differences in prices.

Why it’s useful: You may find that you like a particular neighborhood, but not the individual home you came to see. Or you might visit a friend and fall in love with their street, but have no idea what homes in the area go for. Having an easy-to-use mobile app that helps you discover more nearby homes for sale, wherever you are, is actually quite indispensable. It eliminates the need to scrawl down numbers on scraps of paper or squint to see the faded numbers on the curb then wait until you’re in front of the computer to try to match an online listing to a real-world house.

Works with: iOS and Android
Price: Free
By Tara-Nicholle Nelson | Broker in San Francisco, CA

....and don't forget to take us along with you with our new Mobile App @ http://bit.ly/wXWR3w  (still needs some work - but it helps our buyers our while out on the road)

Windcrest site near Rackspace is in developer’s sights

Rackspace Hosting Inc.’s corporate headquarters is located in the former Windsor Park Mall.

Dallas-based equity firm Stratford Land earlier this month closed on the purchase of a large tract of land in the nearby city of Windcrest — marking a major leap forward in the effort to breathe new life into what was once a thriving retail hub in the San Antonio area.

Development plans for how the acreage will be utilized are still in the early stages, but Stratford sees the tract as a prime site for a range of uses — including retail stores, restaurants, hotels and apartments.

The 111-acre parcel is located along a major freeway artery — Interstate Highway ...

Tricia Lynn Silva covers real estate, retail, construction, and law firms; she also plans and edits some special reports.

Most Active Counties in Texas :: Monteola Subdivision

The most active counties in a state are determined by counting the number of properties displayed for that county over the last 7 days. Rural Real Estate industry trend reports such as Number of Searches by County, New Properties Added Counts, Property Counts in Search Results , and Number of Properties Marked as Sold are available. 

	County	Avg Price	Avg Ac.
1.	Kendall County	$1,761,167.83	148.99
2.	Henderson County	$264,344.65	19.02
3.	Burnet County	$506,500.60	44.01
4.	Bandera County	$689,687.64	82.35
5.	Llano County	$398,594.14	40.80

LandsofAmerica.com

 

Visit our sites at MONTEOLA...a real taste of Texas Hill Country Living!

 

Click Here for More Information about fine living at Monteola, the San Antonio area’s most unique and breathtaking private gated community.

Interest Rates

An improving US economic outlook was negative for mortgage rates this week. Reduced concerns about Europe also caused a partial reversal in the flight to safety trade. As a result, mortgage rates ended the week higher.

Early in the month, the December Employment report showed a larger than expected increase of 200K jobs, and the Unemployment Rate continued to move lower. This week, Weekly Jobless Claims fell to the lowest level since April 2008. The labor market is one of the most important factors in the health of the economy, and many investors now view the outlook as brighter than it has been since the financial crisis began. If this is the case, it will be great news for the economy, and job gains will increase the willingness and the ability of people to purchase homes.

The Housing sector data released this week was encouraging as well. January Existing Home Sales increased 5%, while the inventory of unsold homes declined 9%, to the lowest level since March 2005. December Housing Starts for single-family units increased 4%, and Building Permits for single-family units rose 2%. Finally, the January NAHB Home Builder confidence index rose for a fourth consecutive month to the highest level since 2007. Improving economic conditions, high affordability levels, and low mortgage rates provide solid reasons to be optimistic about the housing market.

The most highly anticipated economic news next week will be Wednesday's Fed announcement. Investors will be looking for hints about whether the Fed will provide additional monetary stimulus. The most significant economic report will be Friday's GDP data for the fourth quarter. GDP is the broadest measure of economic activity. Before that, Pending Home Sales will be released on Wednesday. Durable Orders and New Home Sales will come out on Thursday. Leading Indicators and Consumer Sentiment will round out the schedule. In addition, there will be Treasury auctions on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Copyright @ 2012 MBSQuoteline

Market Update :: TRG

Increased concerns about Europe helped mortgage rates improve this week, although the impact of the recently passed extension to the payroll tax reduction is beginning to push up mortgage rates for certain loans (discussed below).

The news from Europe was mostly negative this week. Economic growth in Germany was slower than expected. Negotiations on restructuring Greek debt did not progress as planned, increasing the risk of default. S&P is downgrading the debt of several European countries, including France. Finally, the European Central Bank (ECB) provided no relief, as it gave no indication that it would increase the level of aid available to troubled countries. As a result, investors shifted funds to relatively safer investments, including US mortgage-backed securities (MBS), which helped mortgage rates move lower.

The recently passed extension to the temporary payroll tax reduction contained a lightly publicized revenue raising provision to increase the guarantee fees charged on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans. This fee results in higher rates for borrowers, and mortgage rates for loans not expected to close within the next month or so have begun to reflect this coming increase in guarantee fees.

The most significant economic data next week will be the monthly inflation reports. The Producer Price Index (PPI) focuses on the increase in prices of "intermediate" goods used by companies to produce finished products and will come out on Wednesday. The Consumer Price Index (CPI), the most closely watched monthly inflation report, will come out on Thursday. CPI looks at the price change for those finished goods which are sold to consumers. In addition, Industrial Production, an important indicator of economic growth, will come out on Wednesday. Housing Starts will be released on Thursday, and Existing Home Sales will come out on Friday. Philly Fed and Empire State will round out the schedule. Mortgage markets will be closed on Monday in observance of MLK Day.

Copyright @ 2012 MBSQuoteline

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