The air isn't exactly crisp in Austin these days, but fall has found its way to central Texas all the same. Whether it's the University of Texas football fever or the Halloween decorations on every corner, autumn has a hold on Austin and fun festivities abound:
Oktoberfest Austin holds its first annual festival on October 24 in Waterloo Park. Bring two canned goods benefiting the Capital...
Austin is one of 79 metro areas across the country to be officially out of the recession, according to Moody's. Although the state of Texas is still considered to be suffering the constraints of the recession, Austin and seven other Texas cities have been given the all clear. This determination was based on an index that included employment, housing starts and home prices.
In fact, the...
The 30 year rate rose again this week rising from 4.92 to 5.00. Now in the last two weeks 30 year mortgage rates have risen from 4.87 to 5.00. Most of the other major mortgage products rose as well. The 15 year rate rose from 4.37 to 4.43. Both the 5 year arm rising from 4.38 to 4.40 and the 1 year arm was the only product to fall moving from 4.60 to 4.54.
While this is not a huge jump...
After falling for the last 6 weeks mortgage rates started to rise this week. The 30 year rate rose from 4.87 to 4.92. The 15 year mortgage rose from 4.33 to 4.37. Both arms rose as well with the 5 year arm rising from 4.35 to 4.38 and the 1 year arm rising from 4.53 to 4.60. Below are mortgage rates for the last several weeks along with mortgage rates from March 19, 2009.
Oct 15, 2009...
One of the reasons given over and over for the slow recovery from this recession is the amount of debt so many Americans are buried under. The soaring house values of just two years ago made people feel rich and the financial future looked promising. The future look so promising, in fact, that people spent well beyond their means. It is estimated that personal debt has more than doubled in...
It is hard to believe just two years ago in October the Dow Jones industrial set a record high of 14,164. According to the Associated Press, just one year after that it was at 8,451 in mid October 2008. Today the Dow is around 9,800. Stocks have rallied recently on signs that retail sales are improving. The last two years have been a bumpy ride.
The AP recently broke down the economic...
Home building costs can often be a challenge to control when you've got so many variables in the building or remodeling project. You can avoid overages or, at least, keep them at a minimum if you are armed with some valuable advice.
When planning your build, pad your budget with a 15 percent Contingency Fund. This fund will enable you to pay for overages you have no control over, like...
Austin's KUT radio station is a public radio station. Owned and operated by the University of Texas at Austin, KUT focuses on broadcasting mostly locally-produced music programming and news, as well as some NPR, PRI, and BBC broadcasts.
Three-letter call numbers started falling out of use in the 20's, when four-letter call numbers were introduced to help accommodate the growing number of...
In need of a loan to buy a house, make repairs on your home or buy a house and make repairs on a home? Are you thinking you might not qualify, though, so you've not started the process? You just might be surprised. The federal government currently has a variety of 18 federal mortgage assistance programs available to eligible homebuyers. Keep in mind, however, that most are for those who...
Marshalls are preparing to put Madoff's mansions on the market, and victims of his ponzi scheme are hoping to cash in big time. Based on court records, the FBI is revving up to sell an estimated $30 million in real estate and property, all of which will go to his victims. The three homes on the way to market are a penthouse in Manhattan, a Montauk beach house on Long Island and a waterfront...
