504 W. North Loop #A

Address: 504 W. North Loop #A, Austin, Texas, 78751

Area: Hyde Park / North Campus

Price: $3200/month

Status: Available for Prelease 2010/2011

Bedroom listing: 5/4

Year Built: 2007

Square Footage:

Property Type: House

Recently constructed 5bd/4bath home close to UT shuttle. Stained concrete floors in open living room/kitchen. Gourmet kitchen with granite counters, island, and plenty of storage. Large rooms with ceiling fans throughout home. 2 car garage.

4804 Transit Circle

Address: 4804 Transit Circle, Austin, Texas, 78727

Area: Millwood
Price: $TBD
Status: COMING SOON
Bedroom listing: 3/2 Year Built: 1984 Square Footage: 1679
Property Type: House

Premiere one story 3/2 floorplan on one of the nicest streets in Millwood. Renovated kitchen with granite countertops and tumbled tile backsplash, Expansive living room with vaulted ceilings leads to patio, Large master suite with his/hers walkin closets, 2nd/3rd rooms have walkin closets and ceiling fans, Updates Galore- Roof 10′, Central A/C and Furnace 10′, Light fixtures, Sink, Faucet, Microwave, Vent hood, Exterior Paint 07′, 2 car garage, mature landscaping

4611 Bennett , Austin,Tx 78751

Address: 4611 Bennett, Austin, Texas, 78751
Area: Hyde Park
Price: $1295/month
Status: Available Now

Bedroom listing: 3/1
Year Built: ?
Square Footage: 1150 sq. ft.
Property Type: House

Centrally located 3bd/1bath home with fenced yard. W/D connections. Recent central A/C. Fireplaces. All Kitchen appliances.

4514 Depew Ave #B

Address: 4514 Depew Ave, Austin, Texas, 78751
Area: Hyde Park
Price: $1450/month
Status: Available June 2010

Bedroom listing: 2/1.5
Year Built: 2008
Square Footage: 850
Property Type: Garage Apartment/House

Fantastic garage apartment built in 2008 available. Unique floorplan with 2 bedroom + Full bathroom downstairs and lofted living room,dining upstairs. Great deck that opens from the living room. UT bus stop right out front. Lots of light througout. Lease can start in June, July, or August.

Plus fantastic finishes like:
Granite Counters in kitchen and bath
Stainless Appliances
Full Size W/D
Reserved Garage Spot,Mahoganny floors in living areas

Well at least in Austin, the deals are just not that great. The fact is, most of these Short Sale home owners simply overpaid for their homes and most likely have little to no equity in them. So you are basically getting a home at current market value with a lot more hassles. In most cases it takes two weeks to a month to even get a response from an initial offer with the transaction process lasting about 2 months. Plus, in my opinion banks aren’t really and more motivated to give you a great deal than most sellers.

This isn’t to say that there are no good deals on short sales, more so that there are plenty of good deals if the sellers are willing to negotiate and the buyer’s agent is skilled. On the positive side, Short Sales do benefit the seller who is trying to avoid a bankruptcy. So ultimately a short sale then can be another option to look into but only if buyer has time and patience to pursue it.

5018 Ave F

Address: 5018 Ave F, Austin, Texas, 78751
Area: Hyde Park
Price: $1995/month
Status: LEASED

Bedroom listing: 3/1
Year Built: ?
Square Footage: ? sq. ft.
Property Type: House

Fantastic renovated 3bd/1bath home with wraparound covered front porch! Original hardwood floors have been refinished. Kitchen updated with new countertops and all appliances. Full size Washer/Dryer. Fully fenced front and back yard. Close to UT bus stop and the Triangle.

3105 Stanwood Dr

Address: 3105 Stanwood Dr, Austin, Texas, 78757
Area: Allandale
Price: $1450/month
Status: Leased

Bedroom listing: 3/2
Year Built: ?
Square Footage: ? sq. ft.
Property Type: House

Great 3bd/2bath home in Allandale! Close to rated schools, shopping, and dining. Home is freshly painted and ready for you to move in. Screened covered back patio opens up to wood deck. Beautiful pool with child fence if needed! Two car garage also has window unit A/C. Outside storage shed.

304 Zennia St

Address: 304 Zennia St, Austin, Texas, 78751
Area: Hyde Park
Price: Prelease for August 2010/2011 for $4200/month
Status: Prelease

Bedroom listing: 6/4
Year Built: 2009
Square Footage:Approximately 2600 sqft.
Property Type: House

Stunning spacious 6bd/4bath home built in 2009. Large open living room with 10ft ceilings and wood beams. No carpet- Travertine flooring downstairs and Mahogany flooring upstairs. Modern open kitchen with Stainless Appliances and Granite Countertops. All baths have granite countertops and custom tile work. Fully fenced yard. Across from the IF fields, UT shuttle, and the Triangle.

Know what to do when hail and your roof meet

Understand your insurance policy and research roofing contractors before you need them.
By Judy Wiley – Special to The Austin American-Statesman

Spring in Texas: Bulbs blooming. Hail pounding your roof. There’s nothing quite like that helpless, sinking feeling of wondering how many thousands of dollars you’ll be out or worrying about what’s happening to the new home you’re trying to buy.

Unfortunately, no preventive measures exist to protect a roof. Even pricey high-impact shingles aren’t an absolute guarantee. But the people you might soon be dealing with — contractors, home inspectors and insurers — can offer insight into what to look for after a storm, how to deal with the damage and what steps to take toward getting it fixed.

“There are two ways people generally know they need a new roof,” says Gary Loyd, area manager and Central Texas division president for M & M Roofing, Siding and Windows. “Water leaking in the house, or everybody else in the neighborhood is getting a new roof.” If you’ve been out of town and hear roofers pounding away all around you after you get home, it’s wise to find out what the weather was like while you were gone and take a look at your property.

Just standing outside and looking at the roof won’t do much good, and neither will climbing up for a closer inspection unless the damage is severe, or you’re a roofer. A roof can be damaged to the point of needing replacement without appearing ruined to an untrained eye, Loyd says.

Contractors and insurance companies differ on exactly which expert to call. Loyd says some insurance companies will increase premiums if a claim is filed even if the adjuster doesn’t find damage.

Patti Kelly, a spokeswoman for State Farm Insurance in Austin, says that’s not the case for her company. The best solution: Call your insurer to find out about its policy so you’ll know what to do after a storm.

Another tip: Loyd suggests finding a good roofing contractor through the Better Business Bureau or references before you need one, so you’ll be ready to go when a catastrophe occurs. Having to screen contractors is a headache you don’t need if you already have a leaky roof.

A hailstorm doesn’t necessarily mean a new roof. Loyd says a lot of factors come into play. Older roofs typically sustain more damage. He notes that a roof covered in 20-year shingles that are 15 years old is more likely to develop problems than one covered in 30-year shingles last week.

In Texas, he says the lifespan of roofs is typically a little shorter than the year rating suggests. “With a three-tab, 20-year shingle, they’re lucky to get 15-16 years out of it,” he says. Thirty-year shingles last 22-24 years, 40-year shingles last about 33-34 years, he says.

Of course, the price goes up with the longevity, and it also rises depending on the cost of petroleum. Shingles are priced by the square, which is 10 feet by 10 feet, or 100 square feet. Three or four years ago, they ran about $45 a square for a 30-year shingle, Loyd says, and using middle-of-the-road shingles, a typical roof replacement was $3,500 to $5,000. Today, he says few roofs can be replaced for less than $10,000 to $12,000, with the price per square at $88-$90.

Impact-resistant shingles, which are designed to fare best of all in a hailstorm, run about $100 a square and up. Impact-resistant shingles might have a warranty of 30 to 50 years, and some carry lifetime warranties. Some insurance companies offer discounts to homeowners if they use Class 4 impact-resistant shingles, the highest rating.

If you’re looking at buying a new home, a home inspector can tell you what’s up there and what shape it’s in. Kenneth Larson of Austin Structural Inspections says he looks at whether the type of shingle is appropriate for the structure of the roof. He also checks for water damage in the attic and looks for hail damage.

Here are more tips from Kelly and Loyd on how to prepare for hail season:

- Have your roof checked for a few things that might be likely to fail and cause a leak, says Loyd, such as the caulk around plumbing vents. Also, he says, in the Texas heat, nails tend to back out a little from expansion and contraction, so finding popped nails and replacing any loose shingles could prevent a leak waiting to happen.

- Kelly says to review your insurance coverage and make sure it’s adequate. Make sure your company’s phone number is in a safe place.

- If damage occurs, she says to make any temporary repairs that can be made safely — covering a leak with a tarp, for example — to protect your belongings from further damage. Save receipts.

- An inventory of your belongings before they’re damaged is important for insurance replacement purposes. Videotape them and write down serial numbers. Keep any receipts for possessions.

- Go over your property and make a list of everything you want the adjuster to see, Kelly says.

- If you have to stay elsewhere, make sure to keep receipts for that as well.

Wiley, Judy “Know what to do when hail and your roof meet”
Special to The Austin American-Statesman. Published 8:37 a.m. Saturday, April 3, 2010.
http://www.statesman.com/business/real-estate/know-what-to-do-when-hail-and-your-516828.html

210 E 32nd St

Address: 210 E 32nd St, Austin, Texas, 78705
Area: UT
Price: $2400 to $2900 depending on florrplan Status: Available for Prelease 2010/2011

Bedroom listing: 3/3.5 and 4bd/3.5
Year Built: 2009
Square Footage: Varies Property Type: Apartment

Gorgeous new modern complex 2 blocks from UT! Top floor 3bd/3.5 bath apartment with 17ft ceilings in large open living room. Travertine flooring throughout. Gleaming kitchen with Stainless Steel Appliances and Coriane counter tops. Bathrooms have oversized tubs and wall to wall Marble Tiles. Front loader Washer/Dryer included. Includes 3 off street parking spaces.