Mike Elliott's (maxwellmc) Blog

Dell just announced it's earnings and as a part of that, stated that they were cutting 10% of the worldwide workforce.  As Dell employs about 18,000 folks in the area we could see 1800 lost jobs!  Let's cross our fingers and hope that the reduction in force doesn't hit us that hard, but it could....

As more and more folks are notified about their luck of the draw (or not)at Mueller, rumblings of dissatisfaction are beginning to erupt.  A few complaints I have heard is that the pricing was bait and switch, the base level finish out is disappointing, and that people are going to have to wait w...

Just when you think things can't get any hotter in Austin, surprise!  While we are far from a bubble here, inventory is just plain hard to come by.  Let me relate 3 instances of what we've been dealing with recently. Windsor Park- A listing came up that looked to be a good deal.  With the market ...

The big news in Austin today is the state legislature has officially adjourned for the session.  Our state lawmakers (luckily) only meet once every two years, so that means you can probably hold on to your wallets for a little while longer.  If you're moving to TX here is a list of what they got ...

Here is a question for all the agents and brokers out there.  Recently this has started happening to me.  A buyer that I may or may not know, goes to a production builder's new home community and finds a home-all on their own.  Then I get a call from the buyer saying "I've found a home and want t...

One other item of note on the SP pricing at Mueller.  For every 10 contracts they write, they reserve the right to change prices.   The thing is, I'm number 62 in line, so that means that they can raise price six times before I even get to sit down and officially write a contract.  That doesn't s...

  Well, here it is, hot off the press!  If you are buying a Standard Pacific home in Mueller, this is where your pricing starts.  If you can't read it and want a full sized copy, feel free to send me a mail and I'll forward you a hi res scan.  It doesn't say copyright or confidential and I believ...

For those interested in moving to the Mueller redevlopment, things are happening.   We were notified by our "preferred" builder that we had been one of the lucky lottery winners and would be among the first to be able to buy a new home in the Mueller redevelopment.  We selected Standard Pacific, ...

The market is holding strong and we're not seeing any sign of things cooling off.  Why would we really when we're heading into the busiest season of the year?  Austin's real estate market is consistently cyclical.  In a "normal market" we can expect business to increase over the summer months wit...

I think I'll take this opportunity to talk about the latest book from Millionaire Systems.  It's called FLIP and it's written by Rick Villani and Clay Davis of our home town Austin TX.  I've read the book and it's very interesting and informative.  It includes step by step instructions on how to ...