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Don’t let the Hail get you Down…

It has only been one week since Austin was hit with one of the worst hail storms we have seen in in years. Although most of you reading this article that own homes immediately called your insurance companies and already have proceedings in place to replace your roofs, fix your gutters and replace broken windows, there still may be some of you that haven’t yet. Hopefully this article will help those of you that have not made a choice yet on which company to go with!!

Roof Repair:

1. Integrity Roofing and Construction is located here in Austin and is TRCC Registered as a Builder/Remodeler. They have project managers who have experience working other major storms and work with experienced adjusters and insurance companies to recover the most money they can for their clients. They give free, fast quotes right on their site.

2. AmeriWest Roofing is another local Austin company that is prepared to repair or replace roofs with hail damage. Their roofing services begin with a physical inspection to determine the current condition to detect weakness and failures and to identify any potential future problems. They also supply free estimates on their site as well.

3. Roof Crafters is a roofing company that has a whole plan for Going Green! Roof Crafters also has a list of very wise things to do once hit by hail including:

• Don’t get in a hurry
• Get More than one Estimate
• Ask about Certifications
• Click here to View More

4. Signature Roofing is a local company that has an entire division that specializes in catastrophic roof repairs due to hail, hurricane and wind damage.  The members of this team are trained and educated to assist clients through the proper insurance procedures and requirements. Free estimates are also available.

Gutter Repair:

1. Gutter Tech, located in Austin, specializes in seamless rain gutters, rain water collection systems, gutter clean-out, gutter rehab, drainage issues, pressure washing, exterior painting and fascia repair.

2. Austin Gutter Man, Inc. uses a wide range of materials for gutters, including galvalume steel, aluminum, copperbright and copper. They also have a plan for clients to Go Green, and can give estimates right over the phone.

3. Leaf Guard specializes in one-piece seamless construction that is 20% thicker than ordinary gutters. Leaf Guard has been given the Good Housekeeping Seal and has a No Clog Warranty. They also provide free estimates on-line.

4. Big Rain Seamless Gutters provides service in Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown, Pflugerville, Hutto, Cedar Park, Leaner, Lakeway, Sun City, Jarrel and Westlake Areas. They provide free estimates on their site and currently have a $75 coupon towards purchase and insallation.

Window Repair:

1. Glass Doctor has served the Austin area for over 37 years specializing in home and business glass doors and windows. They have a 24-hour emergency storefront service and provide instant quotes on their website.

2.  Champion Window vinyl replacement windows are custom made for your home,professionally installed and guaranteed by Champion. They also have earned the Good Housekeeping seal and carry the AAMA gold label. They also provide free in-home consultations that can be scheduled right on their site.

3. Premium Siding and Painting Company also specializes in repairs and replacements of windows. They have over 25 years of experience serving the Austin area and also provide free estimates on their site, and give senior citizens and veteran discounts!

I hope these can be of help to anyone still in need of home repair. Good Luck!

Austin Real Estate Stats Feb 2009

With all that is happening in our economy lately here is a recap of how it is affecting the Real Estate Market.

So what happened in the Austin real estate market in February? For a recap, the Austin market first slowed down in around August 2007 due to the national subprime issues. The market held steady at its new slower pace for around a year. Then we experienced another slow down in October 2008.

So how was Febuary 2009. Adjusting for time of year, the market improved in February 2009 compared to January. But the market is not what it was 2 years ago or even what it was before the most recent slowdown.

One way of looking at it is that the number of sales. January 2009 has the lowest monthly sales we had seen since January 1998. February 2009 had the lowest sales for a February since February 2001. So while it’s an improvement, we are still in a very slow market.

Here are sales statistics for the last few years.

Let’s look through a few of the numbers. We had 35% less sales than 2 years ago and 28% less sales than last year. Average Price’s are up 4% and Median Price’s are up 5%. Personally I just don’t buy this. Average prices tend to change alot from month to month based on what is selling. If homes under 200k are selling less frequently because of lending restrictions average prices will in turn move up. And in the current market where lenders are changing their restrictions on a regular basis and therefore affecting what price range houses are selling, I would take average prices with a grain of salt.

One positive stat is the number of active listings is roughly steady compared to last year. So while sales are down 28% compared to last year, the number of listings is only up 3 percent.

The next stat is something I get alot of questions about which is list to sold price. Last month we were at 94.6%. This means a house listed for 100k on average would sell for 94.6K. I have alot of people that see a house for 300k and think the market is down so the seller will accept 180k. The short answer is probably not.

[[So what about all these stories of homes selling for next to nothing in places like Detriot, and why don't we see that here. Basically the market is down in Austin but the general expectation is that at some point the Austin market is going to recover. People don't seem to have that expectation about Detriot. Detriot was on a downward spiral before the current national economic mess started. Once the national economy recovers there is no particular reason to think Detriot will be a thriving metropolis. If anything when the national real estate market recovers, Detriot is likely to continue the slow downward spiral it was experiencing before.]]

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