The Joa Realty Family would like to wish you and your loved ones a happy holiday season!  It has been a pleasure to serve you this year, and we look forward to working with you in the upcoming year!

We've recently moved to a new office and welcome you to visit us.  Not far from our previous downtown Austin office, we are now located inTarrytown, Austin, TX.  Just minutes from Lady Bird Lake, our new address is:

800 Newman Dr

Austin, TX 78703

Good news!  Manpower Inc surveyed employers from 200 of major US cities regarding their hiring outlook for 2009, and Central Texas responded with positive numbers for the first quarter of the upcoming year.  The staffing firm's survey revealed that 15% of the participating firms planned to add jobs.  This rate was in line with the national result, as the participating employers collectively predicted a 16% job growth.  Comparatively, fellow tech city Seattle can boast about 17% of employers increasing staff, while San Jose trails behind at only 9% employers expacting growth and 17% of employers planning to downsize. 

Austin is remaining strong even in times of national economic shifts!

 Manpower Inc Central Texas Hiring Survey Results

Hiring Status	Percentage
Hiring Staff	15%
Maintaining Staff	70%
Cutting Staff	10%
Unsure	5%

On 25 November 200828 November 2008, applications for home mortgages increase by over 200%.  Some lenders are offering rates below five percent for 15-year mortgages. , the Federal Reserve announced it was going to buy up $500 billion of securitized loans and interest rates began to fall!  By

National Association of Realtors® President Charles McMillan comments, “NAR estimates that lowering the mortgage interest rate by 1 to 2 percentage points can result in up to an additional 800,000 home sales. Housing has always led our economy out of downturns and lower interest rates are key to bringing home buyers back to the market.  We strongly encourage the Treasury to move quickly with its plan to lower interest rates to encourage current buyers to act rather than continue to wait.”

Even with foreclosures driving the prices of homes down across the country, people have been on the fence about buying.  Please contact your mortgage professional and accountant to see if this is a good time to buy for you or a good time to refinance your current mortgage.