Bradley Pounds Austin Real Estate

February 2010 - Posts

• Painted Wood Paneling: YES YOU CAN!

  Let's say you're a first-time homebuyer in the Austin area who's looking for that $150,000 gem as close to downtown as possible. (By the way, that's probably the most common search request I've gotten this year - - - in large part Read More... Posted Friday, February 19, 2010 10:57 AM by Bradley Pounds | 0 Comments

• Good news for the Austin economy, bad news for Austin renters: Rents expected to rise this year

  Starting my career as an apartment locator has created for me a special fondness for the Austin apartment industry. Working through three cycles of under- and over-supply in the last 10 years has shown me that the mega-complex rental industry is a game Read More... Posted Wednesday, February 17, 2010 12:59 PM by Bradley Pounds | 0 Comments Filed under: Austin real estate, Austin apartment locator, Austin rental market, Austin apartments

• FHA reverses course on "anti-flipping" rule. I can think of a couple of Austin neighborhoods that would benefit. What about you?

  FHA Flips Anti-Flipping Rule ( RECON , 2/2/10 ) The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) yesterday relaxed what is known as the “anti-flipping rule.” FHA now provides mortgage insurance for some purchases in which the seller bought the property Read More... Posted Wednesday, February 17, 2010 12:46 PM by Bradley Pounds | 0 Comments Filed under: FHA Financing, Austin real estate, Austin FHA, Austin flipping

• ASK AN EXPERT: If FHA loans aren't credit score driven, why does my lender require that I have a FICO of 620 or higher? HELP!

  (Nick Buitink is a mortgage expert/sales manager at Platinum Home Mortgage Corporation .) Nick, It's commonly understood that FHA loans are not supposed to emphasize credit scores (FICO scores) as much as the currently more difficult to obtain conventional Read More... Posted Tuesday, February 02, 2010 3:04 PM by Bradley Pounds | 0 Comments Filed under: Mortgage, Austin TX real estate, Lender regulations, Financing, FHA Financing