The country in general is in a recession as we all know. What some people may not know is that historically Texas is the last one into a recession and the FIRST state to come out of that recession. It is one of the many things we native Texans can be proud of. We are a state full of hard working, never give up sort of people.

According to the Austin Board of Realtors the local home sales were the highest they have been since last September! The actual number of homes sold is down about 20 percent. Many people in the business feel this is due to some buyers inability to obtain a mortgage. Many lenders have also tightened up their lending criteria.

There were 1601 homes sold in April 2009 and they had a median price of $189,000. While home prices have fallen around the country, Austin's home market remains strong. The median price of an Austin home has risen one percent since last year. This bodes well for our typical land rush each spring and summer.

Many current home owners are taking this opportunity to purchase a "move up" home. Some of the sales are due to people buying second homes close to the lake or a condo downtown. There are still many investors that feel Austin real estate is a much safer place for their money than the stock market. After all they are not making any more land, so its value has to go up!

If you are considering buying a home in the Austin area please give me a call. I would be happy to help you make the transition from renter to home owner.  I specialize in Relocation and I have a network of experts to make the process easy to navigate. I look forward to the opportunity to earn your business.

Betina Foreman, Realtor

Keller Williams Real Estate 1801 S. Mopac, Suite 100  Austin, Texas 78746   512-771-6318  Realtor_Austin@yahoo.com   Betina@KW.com www.ServingCentralAustin.com   Member: Austin Board of Realtors, Texas Association of Realtors, National Association of Realtors, ActiveRain, Trulia-Top Voices, and Zillow-Neighborhood Pros.