The Early Bird

With an abundance of outdoor space to play and relax combined with Austin’s love-all attitude, its no wonder that Austin rounds out the top five least stressful metros list.  Gauging things like violent crime, traffic, debt, and pollution, the study points out that Austin enjoys sunshine on more than 60% of its days, and has zero days of unhealthy air.  With a 3.5% unemployment rate, Austin ranks 8th in the 50 top metro areas in the nation, making Austin an obvious well rounded choice for people looking to raise a family in an area with a stable and growing job market as well as a strong connection to the outdoors.  Thus, next time you feel your heart pounding in your chest after a long meeting, or you get a glimpse of the national housing market forecasts – take a deep breath and remember that you live in Austin, land of the stress free.  See what other cities topped the list.

The Austin Musuem of Art may sign an agreement with developer Hines to construct an office tower on the block owned by the musuem at 4th and Guadalupe.  Two years ago, the AMOA attempted to construct a condo tower with musuem space with local developer Tom Stacy, but the project never panned out.  Last summer there were reports that ZOM, who is developing the recently completed Monarch tower at 5th & West, had been is communication with AMOA.  Perhaps the 3rd try will be a charm?

 Read the AMOA article from the Biz Journal here

 Just for fun, below is a virtual image of what downtown Austin will probably look like in 2010.

At a time when many businesses are looking at the bleak revenue forecasts ahead, here in Austin we may be able to sleep a little easier knowing that we’re still growing -  in business, population, and real estate. 

High-tech, a booming film industry and the University of Texas all helped propel Austin to the top of Forbes’ 2008 list of America’s Fastest Growing Metros.  Read the full article here.

Headlines in cities across the country document the continued popularity of downtown living, a trend that re-emerged in the 1990s locally and nationally. In this sense, Austin isn’t so weird after all.

Like Boston, Detroit, Denver and many other cities, Austin has its share of singles and young professionals, executives, empty nesters, retirees and, increasingly, young families headed to where the action is: downtown.

“Time is the most important commodity that people have in their lives, and living downtown means people spending less time stuck in traffic and more time enjoying life,” says Larry Warshaw, a co-developer of four condominium projects in East Austin and the 42-story Spring tower under construction downtown. “I see it being a trend that will continue for several decades.” Read the rest of the story here.

So what criteria determined the final rankings? Well, quality and quantity both carried a lot of weight in terms of the local talent pool, production facilities, educational opportunities, networking events, film festivals and other screening venues. Enthusiasm—on the part of the local moviemaking community, film office and cineastes—meant something, too.  Click here to read the full story.

The Lone Star State shines brilliantly in a list of the best places to work in the U.S. when some economists peer into their crystal balls for 2008.

Austin, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio all rank high on the latest forecast data from Moody’s Economy.com. Click here to read more.

With rents in many cities skyrocketing, men and women marrying later and a divorce rate for first-time marriages that hovers at about 45%, it’s no wonder more American couples are deciding to shack up.  Read here why Austin ranks as one of the top ten cities for couples.

As many of you know, here in Austin, we have finally hit a “buyers market” which means that the inventory on the market has out-paced the number of current buyers.  Luckily, because developers have been able to watch what has occured with over building in other markets, they have been responsible in their development in Austin, and are holding off on some projects, which will keep our market stable in the coming months. 

Pairing the nation’s low interest rates, with the amount of inventory on the market, makes an excellent opportunity for buying a home in Austin. 

The housing market will continue its downward spiral, forecasts say, and that means opportunities for buyers. But waiting for the market bottom may not be the smartest strategy. Here are 5 reasons to buy now — and 5 reasons you may want to wait.  Buyers: Should you wait for the market bottom?