http://www.financealley.com en-us editorial@financealley.com Mount Bonnell is one of the most historic as well as highest parks in the Austin area, and has been a popular spot for hikers, nature lovers and campers since the mid-1800s. The "mount" for which the park is named is a natural limestone formation and the ... http://www.financealley.com/article_694429_33.html 26th November 2008 Staging a home can end up being a valuable tool in selling the house. Not only can it assist in selling a house, but it can also help the seller get top dollar. The amount of staging needed varies wildly from a small scale de-cluttering of a home to... http://www.financealley.com/article_677009_33.html 29th October 2008 For the second week in a row mortgage rates have fallen. For those that don't read my updates regularly I wanted to give a short background on what rates have been doing. From the end of April to the beginning of June 30 year mortgage rates hovered arou... http://www.financealley.com/article_677005_63.html 29th October 2008 One of the more recent developments in the Austin real estate market are the multitude of loft condominiums springing up smack-right in the middle of downtown. This new push towards urban living reflects an interest in a pedestrian-oriented community, opt... http://www.financealley.com/article_664966_33.html 14th October 2008 For the second week in a row 30 year mortgage rates held steady at 6.52. 15 year mortgages last week moved from 6.07 to 6.1. The week they returned to 6.07. So basically the fixed rates are holding steady. 5 Year Arms fell from 6.05 to 6.02 and 1 Year... http://www.financealley.com/article_664899_33.html 14th October 2008 The residential neighborhood around Barton Springs which is now called Barton Hills is one of the earliest settlements in the Austin area, and the community was originally a small town itself. This unique neighborhood is so old that dinosaur footprints da... http://www.financealley.com/article_664871_33.html 14th October 2008 Before we talk about what happened with mortgage rates this week lets do a quick recap of what happened last week. Last week mortgage interest rates made a sudden jump over the previous week. For the entire month of June and July 30 year mortgage inter... http://www.financealley.com/article_664867_33.html 14th October 2008 After falling for most of the month of July mortgage interest rates jumped up. And not only did they move up they jumped to the highest levels we have seen in 2008. 30 Year rates jumped from 6.26 to 6.63 last week. To put that in perspective for the en... http://www.financealley.com/article_664848_19.html 14th October 2008 For the second week in a row mortgage rates have fallen. For those that don't read my updates regularly I wanted to give a short background on what rates have been doing. From the end of April to the beginning of June 30 year mortgage rates hovered arou... http://www.financealley.com/article_622128_19.html 05th September 2008 Elgin is a small city which is located 23 miles east of Austin and 17 miles north of Bastrop, and Elgin is also known as the Sausage Capital of Texas! Elgin covers an area of 4.7 square miles, and in the census of 2000, the city reported a population of 5... http://www.financealley.com/article_622126_33.html 05th September 2008 Allandale is the name of a lovely neighborhood in central Austin, although the area was originally considered to be northwest Austin, before Austin's expansion into a large metropolitan area. Allandale recently celebrated its 35th anniversary as an active... http://www.financealley.com/article_622124_33.html 05th September 2008 So what has been going on in the world of finance and mortgages? Certainly the biggest news was the fall of IndyMac. Last week we heard that IndyMac had stopped giving out new mortgage loans and was going to concentrate on simply servicing the existing ... http://www.financealley.com/article_622123_19.html 05th September 2008 Regardless of whether it's across the country or across town, moving is a stressful, expensive and time-consuming event. It requires extensive planning, organization, and a lot of physical activity. While there is no easy way to move house, there are seve... http://www.financealley.com/article_622122_33.html 05th September 2008 After a rather neutral start in 2008, the real estate market for residential homes in Austin has increased its inventory of homes for sale, according to statistics from the Austin MLS. This is happening despite a continuation of one of the highest metrop... http://www.financealley.com/article_622119_33.html 05th September 2008 Charming pockets of single family homes are studded throughout this hidden gem of a neighborhood, and although certain parts of the area are given over to apartment complexes, duplexes and fourplexes, this is an overlooked area with enormous potential. Bo... http://www.financealley.com/article_622117_33.html 05th September 2008 After rising drastically last week fixed mortgage interest rates moved up slightly this week. 30 Year notes moved from 6.42 to 6.45 and 15 Year notes moved from 6.02 to 6.04. ARMS on the other hand rose a decent amount. 5 Year Arms rose from 5.89 to 5.9... http://www.financealley.com/article_612469_19.html 01st September 2008 Up up and away. Mortgage interest rates continue on their upward trajectory. 30 Year mortgage rates went from 6.32 to 6.42. 15 year notes rose from 5.93 to 6.02 and 5 year arms rose almost 20 basis point going from 5.7 to 5.89. 1 Year arms rose this w... http://www.financealley.com/article_612459_19.html 01st September 2008 Pemberton Heights is the name of a beautiful and historic area of Old West Austin, centrally located and convenient to downtown, the University of Texas campus, and the State Capitol complex, as well as easily accessible by the MoPac Expressway, also know... http://www.financealley.com/article_597822_33.html 14th August 2008 Travis Heights is a centrally located neighborhood in one of Austin’s most esteemed zip codes, 78704. The neighborhood’s proximity to downtown and Lady Bird Lake makes it a desirable place to live, and the new Emma Long Center for the Performing Ar... http://www.financealley.com/article_566232_33.html 30th June 2008 Two beautiful areas of Austin which are also very historic are the Tarrytown neighborhood and the Deep Eddy neighborhood, and these two areas are adjacent to each other with Tarrytown being slightly farther north than Deep Eddy. These areas are situated i... http://www.financealley.com/article_566227_33.html 30th June 2008 When Austin’s airport moved to its current location at the old Bergstrom Air Force base, the Robert Mueller airport became 711 acres of land just east of Interstate 35 ripe for developing. The city of Austin, along with the Catellus Development group, ... http://www.financealley.com/article_566215_33.html 30th June 2008 An area of Austin which is currently undergoing revitalization is the old Mueller Airport area, near the intersection of Manor Road and Airport Boulevard in East Central Austin. This location offers residents and visitors alike many interesting opportunit... http://www.financealley.com/article_566212_33.html 30th June 2008 All investments depend on making returns, which in turn are affected by macro cycles such as the Great Depression or the dot-com boom. When a market is receding, it makes more sense for long-term, stability-seeking investors to look elsewhere upon first g... http://www.financealley.com/article_566211_33.html 30th June 2008 In recent months, the US real estate market has seen its fair share of turbulent weather as house prices continue to fall. While the Federal Reserve has taken significant steps towards making lending cheaper, interest rates remain artificially high as the... http://www.financealley.com/article_554504_33.html 11th June 2008 Central Austin is filled with pre-war homes commonly referred to as bungalows, and are sought after by many for their charm, coziness and attention to detail. The word “bungalow” comes from the Indian word “bangla”, which used to refer to homes... http://www.financealley.com/article_554492_33.html 11th June 2008 When thinking about the economic slowdown now gripping the United States, one might think of the naked emperor of yore, who could not realize his condition until told by a child. By the time analysts and the White House recognize the extent of the credit ... http://www.financealley.com/article_554489_19.html 11th June 2008 In Greek mythology, the hydra was a beast that, when one of its many heads were severed, would grow new heads in their place. The sub-prime mortgage crisis has developed in a similar fashion, initially appearing to be constrained to a sector of unworthy c... http://www.financealley.com/article_544943_19.html 21st May 2008 Just north of Hyde Park, with approximately 1400 homes, lies the neighborhood of North Loop. Also referred to as "Northfield", the North Loop neighborhood boundaries are 51st street, Lamar Boulevard, Airport Boulevard, and Koenig Lane. Like many... http://www.financealley.com/article_544932_33.html 21st May 2008 The West Austin area of Clarksville was originally a freedman's colony for slaves freed after the Civil War. Clarksville now has a very diverse population, and this diversity is reflected in the various nationalities of the residents. There is an excellen... http://www.financealley.com/article_544905_33.html 21st May 2008 Many modern homes and condos are going up left and right in Austin, with local design and build companies behind the new residences. It is hard to pinpoint exactly why modern design is becoming so popular, but several factors possibly play a role. O... http://www.financealley.com/article_533473_33.html 08th May 2008 Just north of Austin’s urban center lies the Crestview neighborhood, bordered by Anderson Lane to the north, Justin Lane to the south, North Lamar Boulevard to the east and Burnet Road to the west. In 1948, developer A.B. Beddow began building the Cres... http://www.financealley.com/article_524498_33.html 28th April 2008 Lying just west of IH-35 and south of Riverside Drive is one of Austin’s most appealing neighborhoods, Travis Heights. Its rolling hills and winding roads have long been a haven for a diverse culture, with a mixture of housing to match: perfectly kept ... http://www.financealley.com/article_524493_33.html 28th April 2008 The recent government-sponsored bailout of Bear Stearns, one of the top five lenders in the United States, has shocked traders and left investors cold. Despite the chilly reaction on Wall Street, secretly many are breathing a sigh of relief. While Bear St... http://www.financealley.com/article_524491_19.html 28th April 2008 During the subprime crisis we saw the advent of numerous bizarre loan products. In general the new loan products were designed to get people into houses they could not normally afford. As people started to default on their mortgages banks realized many ... http://www.financealley.com/article_524457_63.html 28th April 2008 More times than I can remember I had a buyer interested in a property think that I would be thrilled when I found out they didn't have a buyers agents. I'm not excited. In fact I would prefer that they had a buyers’ agent. Here are the reasons why: ... http://www.financealley.com/article_515291_33.html 10th April 2008 In the past I used to tell people to look at different mortgage rates for different loan products and determine what was best for them. If they were planning on moving soon a 5 Year ARM might work. If they planned on staying on the house longer they mig... http://www.financealley.com/article_515286_19.html 10th April 2008 There are many decisions when buying a home. One of them is what kind of loan product to use. With interest rates, payment terms and points it can be a little overwhelming. In this article we are going to compare and contrast two popular loan products ... http://www.financealley.com/article_515283_19.html 10th April 2008 On March 31st, the Treasury Department announced a new plan to help the troubled financial sector weather the sub-prime mortgage storm. This new system replaces some agencies while redrawing the jurisdictions of existing authorities like the Securities an... http://www.financealley.com/article_515282_19.html 10th April 2008 One of Austin's oldest and most loved neighborhoods in Austin is Hyde Park. Located in Central Austin just north of The University of Texas, Hyde Park is over 100 years old. Founded in 1891 by the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas Land and Town Company, the ne... http://www.financealley.com/article_503318_33.html 02nd April 2008 On January 22nd, the Federal Reserve cut their most important interest rate for the fourth time in the past six months, in an attempt to stem the widespread sentiment that the US is in, or headed for recession. Their cut comes at a strange time, because t... http://www.financealley.com/article_503316_33.html 02nd April 2008 As many Austinites relish living a healthy lifestyle, it’s no surprise that Farmers’ Markets are a hit in the city. The markets bring fresh foods from locally grown areas to those looking for an alternative to the goods found in the neighborhood groc... http://www.financealley.com/article_503307_33.html 02nd April 2008 High upon the bluffs overlooking Pease park, sits one of Austin’s exclusive, and somewhat overlooked, neighborhood, Pemberton Heights. The Austin Development Company created Pemberton Heights in the late 1920s, and lured potential buyers by offering "f... http://www.financealley.com/article_465359_33.html 01st February 2008 In recent months, fallout from the sub-prime mortgage scandal has been estimated in the hundreds of billions, up from figures of $100 billion maximum from the Federal Reserve only three months ago. While the Fed has, in an unprecedented move, cut interest... http://www.financealley.com/article_253430_33.html 19th January 2008 As we learn more about the sub-prime "melt-down" of 2007, the selection of a good lender is apparent in its importance as a key step to success. A new home buyer must pay careful attention to this selection and a good REALTOR will facilitate the process a... http://www.financealley.com/article_218176_33.html 25th September 2007 Establishing a good price to offer on the home you have selected is a big step in reaching the goal of actually buying the right home for you. Your Realtor has helped you select the right Lender for your portfolio and has also worked with you ((to)) selec... http://www.financealley.com/article_219463_33.html 25th September 2007 In Part I, we discussed the components of the loan that do not require lenders' quotes. The following components of the loan, including interest rate, points, and closing costs can get pretty involved and you will probably need to discuss the different l... http://www.financealley.com/article_210771_33.html 03rd September 2007 When you decide to buy a house, one of the first tasks is to talk to a couple lenders and choose which lender & loan is best for you. With all the loan variables, it's tough to compare one lender to another. In this blog, we'll go through each of the loa... http://www.financealley.com/article_210769_33.html 03rd September 2007 Most real estate purchases are bought with loans so getting a good faith estimate and pre-approval letter from your lender helps the process start off on the right foot. The good faith estimate, or GFE for short, is required by law to be provided by lend... http://www.financealley.com/article_210766_33.html 03rd September 2007 When you decide to buy a home, getting the best possible loan is important. It can save you thousands of dollars. How you can keep your monthly mortgage payments down? These are the different components of the loan that can affect your monthly mortgage... http://www.financealley.com/article_206235_69.html 24th August 2007 The first time you are getting a loan, it can be confusing what all is needed and how to start. This outlines the steps to getting a loan from picking a lender to closing. 1) Picking a Lender. Comparing lenders can be daunting. All the components of... http://www.financealley.com/article_206234_19.html 24th August 2007