San Antonio Real Estate Blog

The 2007 real estate market report for San Antonio from the Texas Real Estate Center is now available on my website. The report covers census data, employment and unemployment, major industries, business climate, education, transportation and infrastructure issues, growth patterns and much more. ...

Subprime loans are high-interest rate loans that are offered to people who do not qualify for market rate mortgages. Often, traditional lenders have turned these borrowers away because of low credit ratings or other factors that suggest to traditional lenders that borrowers could default on their...

Some home buyers will be receiving a bit of a tax break for the 2007 tax year thanks to new legislation that will make mortgage insurance (MI or PMI for private mortgage insurance) tax deductible. PMI, is a type of insurance that insures the lender in case the buyer defaults on the loan. The lend...

Texas Commissioner of Insurance, Mike Geeslin, ruled that all title insurance premium rates be lowered by 3.2 percent, across the board. Starting Feb. 1, 2007, all Texas title companies must follow the new, lower rates.The decreasing premium rates are nothing new to Texas title companies. In 2004...

When it comes to home loans, buyers have more options now than just the traditional 15 and 30 year mortgages.  Now 40 year, and in some cases 50 year, home loans are being offered.  Last year 40 year loans accounted for 5 percent of all new mortgages in the United States.  The question is, how ec...

The 2006 real estate market report from the Texas Real Estate Center is now available on my website. The report covers census data, employment and unemployment, major industries, business climate, education, transportation and infrastructure issues, growth patterns and much more. Click on the lin...

In the past, homeowners who protested property-tax values and were unsatisfied with the Appraisal Review Board's (ARB) decision had only one recourse, appeal the ARB's decision to district court. But the cost of filing in district court could be high, with $5,000 being the average cost of filing....

It is common knowledge that housing in Texas is more affordable than in most other parts of the country. Just how much more affordable is clearer in light of changes to the Real Estate Center's Texas Housing Affordability Index (THAI). The Texas median-income family earns 79 percent more than nec...

I have some good news to share! Effective, Monday, July 10, 2006, I joined Keller Williams Realty. Keller Williams Realty is one of the fastest growing real estate companies in North America and has been voted one of the best places to work.I have had a great 12 year relationship with RE/MAX, but...

How does limited service representation affect a property's time on the market and selling price? Research sponsored by the Texas Real Estate Center revealed that limited service representation can indeed have significant impacts. Limited service representation and discount brokerages in single-f...