Caswell Lofts offers downtown real estate in an unprecedented location in the heart of Austin, Texas. These unique loft units enjoy an amazing list of high end luxury features such as sophisticated French balconies, soaring ceilings, unique wood ceilings, Italian plumbing fixtures, natural stone counters, walk-in closets, ceiling fans, big windows and lots of natural light.

Caswell also offers many green environmentally friendly features such as a high efficiency aqua-therm heating and cooling system, double lazed windows, native landscaping throughout the development,natural exterior materials.

Come and enjoy the contemporary modern design of Caswell Lofts in downtown, Austin, Texas.

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Soltiva is perfectly located within the University Park Development, just minutes from the University of Texas , St.David’s Hospital and historic Hyde Park district.

Since the townhome units at Sotiva enjoy a wonderful downtown location, they offer a wonderful alternative to driving, jut walk to where you need to go.  Each townhome offers a wide variety of sophisticated finishes and amenities such as modern design, roof terraces, two car garages, three bedroom and three bathroom floor plans, custom kitchens and upscale Miele appliances.

Soltiva is also a leader in green environmental initiatives with refined interiors an eco-friendly development with a four-star rating from the City of Austin’s Green Building program.

Come and find out why everybody loves Soltival in Austin, Texas.

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The East End District of Austin, Texas is a vibrant place to live, work and play.  Located in the heart of the East End District are the environmentally, contemporary condos of The East Village.

The entire ground level of The East Village is huge floor-to-ceiling glass windows, which is a dramatic solution that allows the use of less energy and more natural light. The residential development also has a lovely, secluded rooftop garden that adds to the enjoyment of its residents and further insulates the building.

Choose from a variety of floor plans including efficiency, 1 bedroom lofts, 2 bedroom flats and 2 bedroom lofts.

These lofts offer a true urban lifestyle that is close to shopping, dining and all the conveniences of Austin, Texas.

Use our Featured Property Search to find more lofts, flats and efficiencies in Austin, Texas.

East End Flats offers the most unique, modern and affordable lofts in Austin, Texas.  This lovely private residential loft community conveniently located just two miles from downtown Austin Texas and the Capitol complex in East Austin.

There are 24 spacious units in East End Flats and each loft enjoys million dollar views and an open and spacious floor plan.  The development combines modern design, convenient location, privacy and value in East End Flats.

Units boast many luxury finishes like granite counters, maple cabinetry, over-sized picture windows, high ceilings, stainless steel appliances, private balconies and double insulation between units. Residents also enjoy gated, covered parking.

Lofts in East End Flats start at an unbelievable $113,000 and there are six different one bedroom, one bath floor plans to choose from.

Come and explore the urban, modern loft lifestyle of East End Flats in Austin, Texas for the perfect place to call home.

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Located just two blocks from beautiful Lady Bird Lake, 41 Waller is an incredible condo development that is perfect for downtown Austin urban living.  41 Waller is 30 units that range between $200-$300,000.  These luxurious condos offer large spacious floor plans that range between 930 square feet to over 1250 square feet of living space.

The interiors of these contemporary units enjoy high-end, high quality finishes like private patios, granite counters, European rain bath showers, travertine tiles, stainless steel appliances and more.

The building of 41 Waller also offers many amenities to its residents such as a swimming pool, controlled access, covered parking and WIFI.

Come and experience the best in contemporary architectural design with out the big downtown price tag.

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Austin TX and USA home sales data drops

Existing-home sales fell from December to January but were still above year-ago levels, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported Friday. NAR’s chief economist, Lawrence Yun said the monthly decline was discouraging and raises concern about the strength of a recovery. According to NAR, existing-home sales declined 7.2 percent to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 5.05 million units last month.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said most of January’s sales were based on contracts from November and December. He explained that potential buyers who got into the market after the homebuyer tax credit was extended in November have only recently started to offer contracts, and due to the delay between shopping and closing, it will take a couple of months to complete those deals.

“Still, the latest monthly sales decline is not encouraging and raises concern about the strength of a recovery,” Yun said.

NAR reported that existing-home sales varied by region. The smallest month-to-month decrease was seen in the West, where sales declined 5.2 percent to an annual rate of 1.28 million. The most notable monthly drop was in the Northeast, where sales plummeted 10.9 percent to an annual pace of 820,000. However, sales in this region were 22.4 percent above January 2009 levels, marking the largest year-over-year increase.

Facebook jobs might be headed to Austin

Austin could gain more than 500 new jobs with proposals by a Chinese solar energy company that is considering building a $20.7 million manufacturing plant here and by Facebook to open a sales office here.

Gov. Rick Perry announced the Facebook proposal this morning, and said the state would provide $1.4 million in incentives, conditioned on the approval of local incentives.

Facebook, the top social networking site, would create a 200-employee sales and operations center in Austin, with about 180 of those jobs filled locally. The average wage would be $54,000 a year.

The city is proposing an incentives package totaling $200,000, tied to job creation targets, said Brian Gildea, Austin’s economic development manager.

The city also is proposing property tax breaks for Yingli Green Energy Associates, which is considering Austin for a solar-panel manufacturing plant that would create more than 300 jobs. Austin also would become Yingli’s U.S. headquarters.

Yingli, the U.S. subsidiary of a large Chinese solar-energy company, would get 80-percent property tax breaks for 10 years under an incentives offer from the City of Austin.

The company also has received preliminary approval for a federal clean-energy grant, said Dave Porter, senior vice president for economic development at the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce.

Yingli also is considering Phoenix, Ariz., Porter said. The company needs to choose a site by March 15 in order to qualify for the federal grant.

The Yingli jobs range from 245 manufacturing workers who would make $13.50 an hour to 45 staffers at $50,000 a year and 2 executives at $125,000 a year.

The City Council will have public briefings on both proposals next month, with public hearings and votes to follow on March 11.

Details on both proposals are on the city’s Web site, at http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/

The Austin waterfront community of Apache Shores can be found tucked in the hills on Lake Austin, just south of the Mansfield Dam.  Boasting a beautiful lakeside setting and reasonably priced houses, Apache Shores has a lot to offer potential homebuyers.

The community offers a relaxed, casual atmosphere and a variety of home choices including high-end custom homes and small single-family homes.  Homes here are less expensive then most areas of Austin, even waterfront homes.  Homes located on the lake enjoy boat docks and private ramp access.  All residents of Apache Shores enjoy wonderful amenities such as a community boat ramp, community swimming pool, children’s playgrounds, small pocket parks and Mansfield Dam Park.

This unique west Austin neighborhood bridges Lakeway and Austin but is still within Austin city limits. Come and experience the rustic charm and wild feel of Apache Shores in Austin Texas.

Use the Fine Austin Property Search to find your perfect waterfront home in Austin, Texas.

You might have noticed last week that the Federal Reserve raised the discount rate on loans to banks. To the uninitiated, this might seem like a move that will push mortgage interest rates higher. However, it is not.

Yes, mortgage rates crept up a bit after the announcement, but that was largely a knee-jerk reaction to the news by the mortgage-backed securities market. The discount rate is the rate the Fed charges banks to borrow directly from it. The federal funds rate – which is what banks charge each other and is the real driver of mortgage rates – remains unchanged.

This is does not mean interest rates on home loans will not rise. As part of the federal stimulus package, the Fed has been buying mortgage-backed securities, which has helped keep rates down. But the Fed has warned that it is almost done with the program, and the purchases of mortgage-backed securities could end in March. This means rates could start to rise then.

The Mortgage Bankers Association, in fact, predicts that by June, rates could be a half-a-point higher, and a year from now, rates could be a full percentage point above their current levels.

The bottom line is that rates are at or near historic lows, and are probably set to rise in the next 12 months. But not because of the Fed’s largely symbolic move last week.

  Sendera is a lovely, established neighborhood just outside downtown Austin that boasts approximately 800 homes and was completed in three different phases. The community was originally developed by the Milburn Company and construction on the community took place between 1997 and 2001. Sendera is located on the East side of Loop 1 (also known as MOPAC)and on both sides of Slaughter Lane.

The community offers convenient easy access to shopping, restaurants, recreation and entertainment options. I is just a short drive from downtown Austin and all the energy and appeal of the city.

The community of Sendera itself offers many amenities to its residents such as a recreation area complete with a swimming pool, picnic areas and playgrounds, community parks, and miles and miles of bike trails, a disc golf course, golf course, tennis courts, basketball courts and much more.

Homes in Sendera range in size from 1600 square feet to more than 3,000 square feet and prices start in the upper $170s. Children attend Cowen Elementary school, Covington & Bailey Middle and Bowie High School. Come and discover the perfect neighborhood of Sendera.

Use the Fine Austin Living Featured Property Search to find more single family homes in Sendera and in Austin, Texas.