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Monday, October 10 2011

This is a prepared text of the Commencement address delivered by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, on June 12, 2005.

Video of the Commencement address.

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it's likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something ? your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky ? I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation ? the Macintosh ? a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me ? I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything ? all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.

This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope it's the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma ? which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much.

Posted by: Stanford Report AT 05:33 pm   |  Permalink   |  0 Comments  |  Email
Friday, April 29 2011

Why live in Austin?

Relocation.com ranked Austin as the #1 city for a Fresh Start (May 2009).  So why Austin?  What exactly are the reasons that you would want to live here?  Well it really depends on what you consider as being most important. 

Are you looking for a new job?  This is one of the top reasons why people relocate, even if it means moving to a city in the middle of nowhere.  We all need to make a living, right?  So here is the reason why Austin is the place that you should consider.  Austin has many of the largest employers in the nation including The State of Texas, Dell, IBM, Samsung, Freescale, AMD, and Seton Healthcare to mention a few.  Also, Austin is known for a large number of growing small businesses, and they are always looking for fresh, new workers that are willing to make a difference in the new business.  No wonder it has been ranked as the number one U.S. city for job growth by US Bureau of Labor Statistics (June 2009), and number one city for a career according to WomenCo (May 2009). 

Education is also one of those priorities that many college students and parents cannot compromise.  The University of Texas at Austin is a nationally prestigious school and its campus is located at the heart of the city that has a large influence on Austin’s culture and infrastructure as well.  Also, many of the Austin’s public schools rank at the top in the nation.  Austin Community College is also expanding its campus in Austin to offer more educational opportunities, and many ACC students also transfer to UT, presenting endless opportunities for personal growth. 

Lastly, Austin’s lively and unique culture is what many local Austinites are quite proud of.  As you know, Austin is most widely known as the live music capitol.  The annual South by South West festival and Austin City Live festival brings together thousands of people from all over the world to come together and enjoy the live music, as well as film festival and art exhibits.  This is truly the center of all aspects of culture mixed together.  Also, these festivals bring in millions of dollars into the Austin economy annually as well.  Because of all the tourists and visitors from all over the world, the City of Austin as well as the State government invests a lot of money in making sure Austin is clean and beautiful.  If you are an outdoors person, Austin is known as the America’s Best Cities for Outdoors by Forbes.com for its mild weather, parks and lakes that offer various assortments of outdoor activities. 

I can tell you hundreds of more reasons why Austin is the best place to live, but a picture is worth more than a thousand words and an actual visit is worth more than millions of pictures.  So come and visit Austin and experience what Austin is all about!

Posted by: Sunny AT 03:01 pm   |  Permalink   |  Email
Friday, March 25 2011
The following is an article posted on NARS website that contains useful information for many homeowners filing for their federal income tax returns, as the deadline is approaching.  

Tax Time Less Taxing for Home Owners

Washington, March 15, 2011


“Owning a home offers myriad benefits throughout the year, but some of the financial advantages of home ownership are most apparent at tax time,” said NAR President Ron Phipps, broker-president of Phipps Realty in Warwick, R.I. “As many of today’s hard-working American families are feeling a financial squeeze, the tax benefits that can come from owning a home can be a welcome relief.”

A number of tax deductions and credits are still available for home owners; these include deductions – with specific limits – for mortgage interest and capital gains on home sales, and credits for certain energy-efficient home improvements. Even with these benefits, home owners pay 80-90 percent of all U.S. federal income taxes.

“It’s been suggested that many of today’s tax incentives for home ownership primarily benefit wealthy individuals, but that’s simply not true,” said Phipps. “As today’s public debate continues about what home ownership means for families, communities, and the nation’s economy, there’s no question that for many, owning a home is still the best way to begin building wealth.”

Ninety-one percent of home owners who claim the mortgage interest deduction earn less than $200,000 a year, and the ability to deduct the interest paid on a mortgage can mean significant savings at tax time. For example, a family who bought a home in 2010 with a $200,000, 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage, assuming an interest rate of 4.5 percent, could save nearly $3,500 in federal taxes when they file this year.

“Realtors® see the very real positive impact of home ownership every day with our clients,” said Phipps. “Recent proposals to reduce or eliminate the mortgage interest deduction and remove government support of the housing finance market could have disastrous consequences for the economy, not to mention making it harder or nearly impossible for millions of families to own their own homes. We believe America must continue to invest in home ownership, for the future of our families and our nation.”

For home owner tax season tips, visit www.HouseLogic.com. HouseLogic is a free source of information from NAR that helps home owners maintain and enhance the value of their homes and engage in issues that affect their local communities.

The National Association of Realtors®, “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America’s largest trade association, representing 1.1 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.



Source: "Tax Time Less Taxing for Home Owners" © Copyright NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of REALTORS® <http://www.realtor.org/press_room/news_releases/2011/03/tax_time> accessed on March 25, 2011.

Posted by: Susie Kang AT 02:20 pm   |  Permalink   |  Email
Monday, March 21 2011
The following is an article posted on the NARS website.  

February Existing-Home Sales Decline following Sustained Gains

Washington, DC, March 21, 2011

WASHINGTON (March 21, 2011) – Existing-home sales fell in February following three straight monthly increases, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. 

Existing-home sales1, which are completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, dropped 9.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.88 million in February from an upwardly revised 5.40 million in January, and are 2.8 percent below the 5.02 million pace in February 2010.

Lawrence Yun NAR chief economist, expects an uneven recovery.  “Housing affordability conditions have been at record levels and the economy has been improving, but home sales are being constrained by the twin problems of unnecessarily tight credit, and a measurable level of contract cancellations from some appraisals not supporting prices negotiated between buyers and sellers,” he said.  “This tug and pull is causing a gradual but uneven recovery.  Existing-home sales remain 26.4 percent above the cyclical low last July.”

A parallel NAR practitioner survey2 shows first-time buyers purchased 34 percent of homes in February, up from 29 percent in January; they were 42 percent in February 2010.

All-cash sales were a record 33 percent in February, up from 32 percent in January; they were 27 percent in February 2010.  Investors accounted for 19 percent of sales activity in February, down from 23 percent in January; they were 19 percent in February 2010.  The balance of sales were to repeat buyers. 

The national median existing-home price3 for all housing types was $156,100 in February, which is 5.2 percent below February 2010.  Distressed homes – sold at discount – accounted for a 39 percent market share in February, up from 37 percent in January and 35 percent in February 2010.  “The decline in price corresponds to the record level of all-cash purchases where buyers – largely investors – are snapping up homes at bargain prices,” Yun explained.  “We’d be seeing greater numbers of traditional home buyers if mortgage credit conditions return to normal.”

NAR President Ron Phipps, broker-president of Phipps Realty in Warwick, R.I., said buyers should look into loan availability as soon as they decide they want to buy.  “Despite very affordable mortgage interest rates, credit remains a challenge – buyers should check their personal credit, and mortgage availability in their area,” he said.

“REALTORS® are an excellent resource to learn about all of the marketplace factors, but in this tight credit environment it’s important to learn up front what a lender might be willing to offer as well as specific programs that might be available in your location,” Phipps said.

Total housing inventory at the end of February rose 3.5 percent to 3.49 million existing homes available for sale, which represents an 8.6-month supply4 at the current sales pace, up from a 7.5-month supply in January.

According to Freddie Mac, the national average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage rose to 4.95 percent in February from 4.76 percent in January; the rate was 4.99 percent in February 2010.

Single-family home sales fell 9.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.25 million in February from 4.70 million in January, and are 2.7 percent below the 4.37 million pace in February 2010.  The median existing single-family home price was $157,000 in February, which is 4.2 percent below a year ago.

Existing condominium and co-op sales dropped 10.0 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 630,000 in February from 700,000 in January, and are 3.1 percent lower than the 650,000-unit level one year ago.  The median existing condo price5 was $150,400 in February, down 11.1 percent from February 2010.

Regionally, existing-home sales in the Northeast fell 7.2 percent to an annual pace of 770,000 in February and are 8.3 percent below February 2010.  The median price in the Northeast was $230,200, down 9.5 percent from a year ago.

Existing-home sales in the Midwest dropped 12.2 percent in February to a level of 1.01 million and are 9.0 percent lower than a year ago.  The median price in the Midwest was $122,000, which is 5.4 percent below February 2010. 

In the South, existing-home sales fell 10.2 percent to an annual pace of 1.84 million in February but are unchanged from February 2010.  The median price in the South was $134,600, down 3.9 percent from a year ago.

Existing-home sales in the West declined 8.0 percent to an annual level of 1.26 million in February and are 2.4 percent below a year ago.  The median price in the West was $190,000, which is 5.2 percent below January 2010. 

The National Association of REALTORS®, “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America’s largest trade association, representing 1.1 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

# # #

NOTE: NAR also tracks monthly comparisons of existing single-family home sales and median prices for select metropolitan statistical areas, which is posted with other tables at:www.realtor.org/research/research/ehsdata. For information on areas not included in the report, please contact the local association of REALTORS®.

1Existing-home sales, which include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, are based on transaction closings. This differs from the U.S. Census Bureau’s series on new single-family home sales, which are based on contracts or the acceptance of a deposit. Because of these differences, it is not uncommon for each series to move in different directions in the same month. In addition, existing-home sales, which generally account for 85 to 90 percent of total home sales, are based on a much larger sample – more than 40 percent of multiple listing service data each month – and typically are not subject to large prior-month revisions.

The annual rate for a particular month represents what the total number of actual sales for a year would be if the relative pace for that month were maintained for 12 consecutive months. Seasonally adjusted annual rates are used in reporting monthly data to factor out seasonal variations in resale activity. For example, home sales volume is normally higher in the summer than in the winter, primarily because of differences in the weather and family buying patterns. However, seasonal factors cannot compensate for abnormal weather patterns.

Single-family data collection began monthly in 1968, while condo data collection began quarterly in 1981; the series were combined in 1999 when monthly collection of condo data began. Prior to this period, single-family homes accounted for more than nine out of 10 purchases. Historic comparisons for total home sales prior to 1999 are based on monthly single-family sales, combined with the corresponding quarterly sales rate for condos.

Benchmark Revisions: All major statistical data series go through periodic reviews and revisions to ensure that sampling and methodology keep up with changes in the market, such as population changes in sampled areas, to ensure accuracy. NAR began its normal process for benchmarking sales earlier this year; there will be no change to median prices. In the past we’ve benchmarked to the decennial Census, most recently to the 2000 Census, because it included home sales data. However, the data are no longer included in the Census, so we’re looking at more frequent benchmarking using a new approach with independent sources to improve our process and modeling. As always, we are consulting with various outside housing economists, government agencies and academic experts for a consensus on the methodology; NAR is committed to providing accurate, reliable data. Publication of the revisions is expected this summer.

2Distressed sales, first-time buyers, investors, all-cash transactions and data for contract cancellations, etc., are from a survey for the REALTORS® Confidence Index, scheduled to be posted March 31.

3The only valid comparisons for median prices are with the same period a year earlier due to the seasonality in buying patterns. Month-to-month comparisons do not compensate for seasonal changes, especially for the timing of family buying patterns. Changes in the composition of sales can distort median price data. Year-ago median and mean prices sometimes are revised in an automated process if more data is received than was originally reported.

4Total inventory and month’s supply data are available back through 1999, while single-family inventory and month’s supply are available back to 1982 (prior to 1999, condos were measured quarterly while single-family sales accounted for more than 90 percent of transactions).

5Because there is a concentration of condos in high-cost metro areas, the national median condo price generally is higher than the median single-family price. In a given market area, condos typically cost less than single-family homes.

REALTOR® is a registered collective membership mark which may be used only by real estate professionals who are members of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and subscribe to its strict Code of Ethics. Not all real estate agents are REALTORS®. All REALTORS® are members of NAR.

The Pending Home Sales Index for February will be released March 28, and the 2010 Vacation and Investment Home study will be published March 30. Existing-home sales for March is scheduled for April 20; all release times are 10:00 a.m. EDT.


Source: © Copyright NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of REALTORS® <http://www.realtor.org/press_room/news_releases/2011/03/feb_decline>  Accessed on March 21, 2011.

Posted by: Susie Kang AT 03:14 pm   |  Permalink   |  Email
Friday, January 07 2011
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Posted by: Sunny AT 01:47 pm   |  Permalink   |  Email
Friday, July 02 2010
Following a surge driven by the home buyer tax credit, pending home sales fell with the expiration of the deadline for qualified buyers to sign a purchase contract, according to the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.

The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator, dropped 30.0 percent to 77.6 based on contracts signed in May from a reading of 110.9 in April, and is 15.9 percent below May 2009 when it was 92.3. The falloff comes on the heels of three strong monthly gains as home buyers rushed to take advantage of the tax credit.

The data reflects contracts and not closings, which normally occur with a lag time of one or two months. However, many closings have been delayed recently from a rush of buyers into the system and slow processing of short sales, in addition to the heavy volume and a more thorough loan underwriting process. As many as 180,000 buyers who signed contracts by April 30 may have missed the June 30 closing deadline for the tax credit. However, Congress passed legislation yesterday to extend the deadline for delayed contracts and President Obama is expected to sign.

NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun said, "Consumers are rational and they rushed to meet the tax credit eligibility deadline in April. The sharp decline in contract signings in May is a natural result with similar low levels of sales activity anticipated in June," he said. "Surprisingly, though, some local markets such as Portland, Maine, and Jacksonville, Fla., actually experienced an increase in contract signings from a year ago without the tax credit."

Congress also reauthorized the National Flood Insurance Program. Many lenders were hesitant to approve mortgages on homes needing flood insurance without congressional action and numerous sales have been on hold. The action is retroactive to a temporary authorization that expired May 31, and also is expected to be signed by the president.

Yun noted the tax credit has broadly stabilized home prices. "Without the tax credit, there will be more aggressive price negotiations between buyers and sellers. The key test on whether the housing market can stand on its own without stimulus medicine will depend critically on private sector job creation in the second half of the year. We'll also keep a close eye on market conditions on the Gulf Coast."

Through May of this year 495,000 net private sector jobs have been created; NAR's forecast for employment growth is about 1 million additional net new jobs over the balance of the year and another 2 million in 2011.

"If jobs come back as expected, the pace of home sales should pick up later this year and reach a sustainable level of activity given very favorable affordability conditions," Yun said.

"In most areas of the country there will be no sharp snap back in home prices in the upcoming years, although some local markets have experienced double-digit gains this year," Yun said. NAR forecasts the national median home price to rise only 4 percent cumulatively over the next two years.

"One factor that could lead to price acceleration in upcoming years for some markets is if the very low levels of new-home construction were to persist for another year or two," he added.

The PHSI in the Northeast fell 31.6 percent to 67.0 in May and is 14.8 percent lower than May 2009. In the Midwest the index dropped 32.1 percent to 70.8 and is 20.2 percent below a year ago. Pending home sales in the South fell 33.3 percent to an index of 82.5, and are 14.4 percent lower than May 2009. In the West the index declined 20.9 percent to 85.3 and is 15.1 percent below a year ago.

Source: NAR
Posted by: Susie Kang AT 04:15 pm   |  Permalink   |  Email
Friday, July 02 2010
The most recession-proof cities didn't see home prices surge in the first place, says the MetroMonitor, a quarterly report released by Brookings Institute's Metropolitan Policy Program.

MetroMonitor identified 21 large metro areas that have enjoyed robust economies and stable labor and housing markets in the last few years.


"Most of these cities have some general characteristics in common," says Howard Weil, author of the report and a fellow at the Metropolitan Policy Program. "They didn't experience huge housing bubbles followed by a crash, and their economies weren't rooted in the auto industry."

The top 10 stable cities identified by MetroMonitor are:

1. Albany, N.Y.
2. Augusta, Ga.
3. Austin, Texas
4. Baton Rouge, La.
5. Buffalo, N.Y.
6. Columbia, S.C.
7. Dallas
8. Des Moines, Iowa
9. El Paso, Texas
10. Honolulu

Source: CNNMoney.com, Hibah Yousuf (06/24/2010)
Posted by: Susie Kang AT 04:09 pm   |  Permalink   |  Email
Friday, July 02 2010

Source: NAR

After a close brush with a deadline that could have impacted tens of thousands of home buyers, the U.S. Congress last night passed an extension of the Home buyer Tax Credit closing deadline.

The extension is included in the Home Buyer Assistance and Improvement Act (H.R. 5623) and will prevent as many as 180,000 home buyers from losing their eligibility for the tax credit through no fault of their own. These households had home purchase contracts pending as of April 30 and had until June 30 to close on their purchases to claim the federal tax credit. Under the legislation that passed last night, these households now have until September 30 to close.


The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® supported extension of that closing deadline because buyers are experiencing delays in getting their financing closed. The delays are the result of the large number of transactions that are short sales, which can take a long time to close, and the rush of transactions lenders are processing from buyers submitting contracts before the April 30 contract deadline.

The legislation, which now goes to President Obama for signature, is designed to create a seamless extension of the closing deadline; there will be no gap between June 30 and the date the President signs the bill into law.

NAR worked closely with congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle in supporting lawmakers' passage of the legislation, which the association says will help provide additional stability to real estate markets across the nation.

Separately, the U.S. Senate also last night passed the National Flood Insurance Program Extension Act of 2010 (H.R. 5569), which extends the National Flood Insurance Program until September 30. This will allow home purchases in the 100-year floodplain to move forward. The House passed the bill last week.

When signed into law by the President, the bill, which will apply retroactively, will cover the lapse period from June 1 to the date of enactment of the extension. Without flood insurance, households buying homes in the 100-year floodplain cannot obtain mortgage financing.  


Posted by: Susie Kang AT 04:01 pm   |  Permalink   |  Email
Friday, April 02 2010

Texas Real Estate Commission Warns PublicOf Real Estate Brokerage Scams in Dallas/Fort Worth Area

P.O. Box 12188 Austin, Texas 78711-2188 ?? 1101 Camino La Costa Austin, Texas 78752

512-459-6544 ?? 800-250-TREC ?? www.trec.state.tx.us

The Texas Real Estate Commission Standards and Enforcement Services Division (TREC) has received complaints against a group of individuals and companies that have been doing business in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The individuals and companies named in the complaints represent themselves as real estate agents and real estate brokerage companies but do not hold Texas real estate licenses. Owners of real property, tenants, buyers, and investors claim to have lost large sums of money related to the group?fs real estate schemes. Among other things, the complainants allege that the group takes and keeps deposits for properties over which they have no authority or no control. They allegedly do not pay rent to property owners on property they claim to manage for those owners, or take large security deposits from tenants and then keep the money. They take deposits or earnest money on properties that they claim are available for a short sale but in reality are days away from foreclosure. Apparently, much of the solicitation of potential victims has been conducted through www.craigslist.com.

Before a consumer gives personal information, money, or financial information to a person claiming to be a real estate agent, they should verify the identity of the person and check whether that person actually holds a Texas real estate license. License information can be obtained by doing a ?glicensee lookup?h on TREC?fs website, www.trec.state.tx.us, or by calling TREC Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. at 1 (800) 250-TREC or (512) 465-3942. The public should be aware that Texas laws provide that consumers who use licensed Texas agents have the financial protection of the Real Estate Recovery Trust Account if they suffer actual damages caused by misconduct of a real estate licensee in a real estate brokerage transaction and later obtain a civil court judgment against the licensee that cannot be collected from the licensee. Consumers who use unlicensed individuals or companies to perform real estate brokerage activities are not eligible to be reimbursed by that account.

Based on information filed with the complaints, the group allegedly hires unsuspecting people to perform real estate brokerage services, such as showing real properties for sale or lease and writing contracts or leases, and misrepresents to the ?gemployees?h that a real estate license is not required in order to perform those services. These employees are also apparently solicited via craigslist. Unlicensed real estate activity can be subject to conviction for a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and criminal and civil penalties.

If anyone has questions or information regarding this activity or about other activities that require a real estate license, they should contact TREC at the number above. Also, additional information and a TREC complaint form can be obtained from the website above.

CONTACT: Betsy Bird 512-465-3402

Posted by: Susie Kang AT 08:33 am   |  Permalink   |  Email
Tuesday, February 02 2010

Austin has ranked #2 in job growth compared to the other top 50 U.S. Metros.  Austin had a net loss of 2,300 jobs which was only 700 more jobs lost than the best performing metro, Virginia Beach -a tenth of one per cent difference between the two metros.

 

When you compare to jobs lost in the U.S. in 2009 (4,941,700) or TEXAS (201,700), Austin's performance is amazingly strong. With so many indications of growth returning to different segments of the economy, Austin is well positioned to benefit early on in the recovery. Read the following article by Beverly Kerr.

 

Link to Article: http://app.e2ma.net/campaign/26685.9500ed75130f772a226097c08d88ddd3

 

Central Texas Economy In Perspective
 By Beverly Kerr, Chamber Vice President of Research

 

Friday's Texas Workforce Commission and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics releases of December 2009 workforce numbers marked the 8th month running that the Austin metro, on a year-over-year basis, has lost jobs. Austin's nonfarm payroll jobs total 781,000 in December, a loss of 2,300 (-0.3%) over December 2008.  It should be noted that this year-over-year difference is the smallest Austin has seen since May, and as the graph below indicates, the difference has been steadily narrowing over the last several months.

 

On our customary ranking of the best performing large metros, we retain second place behind Virginia BeachAustin's aggregate job losses of 2,300 or 0.3% compare to 42,100 or -2.0% for Dallas, 8,000 or -0.9% for Fort Worth, 92,500 or -3.5% for Houston, and 9,000 or -1.1% for San Antonio

 

Texas has 277,400 fewer jobs (-2.6%) than one year ago and has been seeing negative year-over-year numbers for 11 months.  Nationally, 4,096,00 job((-3.0%) have been lost over the last 12 months and this is the 20th  month of year-over-year decline.

 

In Austin's private sector, 6 industries lost jobs in the last 12 months, with the greatest numbers and the highest rates of loss, from -5.6% to -11.1%, in 3 of these: natural resources/construction, manufacturing, and wholesale trade.  These sectors lost a combined total of 11,900 jobs.  A combined total of 1,600 jobs were lost in 3 other sectors: transportation/warehousing/ utilities, retail trade, and information. One of Austin's negative growth sectors, manufacturing, lost a greater percentage in Austin than it did statewide (-11.1% vs. -9.8%).

 

Moderate increases were seen in professional and business services (700 net new jobs or 0.6%), other services (800 or 2.5%), and government (1,800 or 1.1%). Larger rates of increase were seen in education/health services (4,000 or 4.9%), financial activities (1,300 or 2.9%), and leisure/hospitality (2,600 or 3.3%).  Texas edged over Austin's growth rates only in the government sector.  The only other sectors growing state wide were education/health services and other services, but Austin added at a greater rate in both of these industries.

 

Austin's net gains in private service providing industries (4,800) and in government (1,800) were outweighed by a loss of 8,900 jobs in goods producing industries.  Austin's goods producing jobs decline of -8.6% was matched by Houston this month, which saw the same year-over-year loss.  Dallas, Fort Worth, and San Antonio's declines ranged from -2.8% to -5.8%.  However, losses were greater statewide, -12.2%.  While Austin's manufacturing losses were greater than the state's, our construction losses (-5.6%) were considerably lower than seen statewide (-14.6%).  Among Texas' major metros, Austin was the only one seeing a year-over-year net gain in private service-providing jobs. Dallas and Houston lost the most in these sectors, -3.0% and -1.9% respectively.

 

Friday also saw the release of new unemployment (and labor force and employment) numbers for Texas, local areas in Texas, and the U.S. Unemployment numbers for December show Austin's performance relative to the state and other major Texas metros being sustained.  San Antonio has been seeing a slightly lower unemployment rate and that applies again in December with their rate being 6.8% compared to our 6.9%.  The rate is 8.0% in Dallas and Fort Worth's and is 8.3% in Houston.

 

Unemployment remains substantially higher than levels seen 12 months ago.  In December 2008 Austin's unemployed was 45,517 (5.2%), but now Austin's unemployed has reached 62,505. While the number of unemployed has increased in Austin, so have civilian labor force and employment over the period. Civilian labor force (employed plus unemployed) increased by 30,122 or 3.5% in 12 months and employed increased by 13,134 or 1.6%. San Antonio and Fort Worth also show positive growth in employment as well as labor force.  Dallas and Houston have seen year-over-year declines in employment, while labor force has increased.

 

Statewide, unemployment has reached 8.0%, up from 5.7% a year ago. Nationally, the December rate is 9.7%, compared to 7.1% a year ago. On a seasonally adjusted basis, Texas' December unemployment rate is 8.3%, up from 8.0% in November.  Nationally, December's rate unchanged from the previous month, at 10.0%. 

 

The Dallas Federal Reserve Bank produces seasonally adjusted data for Austin. On a seasonally adjusted basis, Austin's unemployment rate is 7.3% in December, up from 7.1% in November.  Seasonally adjusted December unemployment rates are also up from the month before in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio.

 

Unemployment rates, and related data, for all U.S. metropolitan areas will be available Tuesday, February 2, on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' page for the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program.

 

Note that, as is the case each month, the initial numbers released in both datasets are preliminary estimates that will be revised next month.  Furthermore, the state and federal agencies will do a benchmark revision process in March which will revise all annual and monthly numbers for 2005-2009.

 

Posted by: Susie Kang AT 02:20 pm   |  Permalink   |  Email

    Susie Kang, CCIM, CIPS, CRS
    Joa Realty

    800 Newman Dr.
    Austin, TX 78703
    Office: 512-480-8384
    Cell: 512-695-1481
    Fax: 512-428-8119
    Email: JoaRealty@gmail.com  

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