Bill Morris Realtor

Several days ago, the National Association of Realtors® reported the latest data about residential resales: Existing-Home Sales Slow in June 2010 but Remain Above Year-Ago Levels Typically, the Austin/Central Texas market is behaving differently.  In this case, sales of existing homes in June 201...

From Associated Press today (as published by the Austin American-Statesman): New home sales up, but sales remain slow As noted in the article, one month does not make a trend, but a 24% increase in new home sales (nationwide) from May to June is good news for many, especially homebuilders with s...

Today's Austin American-Statesman included an article about the state of our local real estate market: Home sales slow, listings surge The focus of the headline is on single family homes, and the growth of listing inventory this year: I commented on the same trend on AustinMarketDashboard.com.  ...

Real estate professionals are accustomed to talking with prospective home sellers about the market value of their homes.  Many sellers are absolutely certain that their homes are unique, and are therefore worth more than all the "comparable" homes that have sold in their neighborhoods.  Many also...

Travel+Leisure has released its ranking of America's Best Cities for Singles, and Austin appears in third place, behind New Orleans and Miami.  So what does our fair city have to offer?  "... a legendary music scene, unbeatable Tex-Mex and barbecue restaurants, and locals who seem too good to be ...

There was an important article in today's Austin American-Statesman: Developer buys 1,200 lots in Leander The developer featured in the article is Taylor Morrison Communities, who paid cash for 440 acres -- 1,200 lots -- in the Crystal Falls area in Leander.  The sale closed on June 30.  Clearly,...

From RISMedia this morning: FHA Reform Act and Annual Mortgage Premiums; What an Increase Means for Borrowers This has passed the House now and is on the way to the Senate.  Without getting into the reasons for the mortgage meltdown -- Fannie, Freddie, and FHA -- this is probably necessary to rep...

I was reviewing TexasRealEstate.com earlier today and came across this article: Offers vs. contracts It's embarrassing to think that a licensed real estate allowed this confusion with a client.  The short version: Buyer-client and agent make offer for property; Negotiation reaches successful conc...

In a previous post (Austin-area Market Variability - first in a series), I discussed variations in market behavior in the Austin metropolitan area, slicing the market only by home size.  In this post I will discuss the importance of "location, location, location" as a vital factor in real estate...

My clients, and those who follow my blog, know that I often describe the real estate business as "hyper-local." I didn't invent that term, but it applies spectacularly in this industry. Unlike cars and toasters, homes are products that can't be moved (in most cases). The value of a car isn't affe...