But Austin isn’t the only Texas city to make the list — San Antonio, Dallas and Houston also nabbed places in the top 10. At number two is San Antonio, with Houston at number four and Dallas at number seven. Like Austin, San Antonio ranks so highly because of affordable housing and job growth. So many Texas cities made it into the top 10 because of how strong the Texas’ economy is.

So what about the worst cities for the value? Those are: Los Angeles; Providence, Rhode Island; New Orleans; Philadelphia; and Cleveland.

Earlier this year, Forbes came out with a list of the best cities in which to buy real estate. Austin came in at number two on that list, just behind Houston. Looks like Austin is no stranger to Forbes‘ top 10 lists, and that’s no big surprise considering everything the city has to offer. Those who call Austin home know just how wonderful the city is.

Real estate SEO (search engine optimization), though not exactly a household term, is essential to a successful real estate website in today’s climate.

In the Wild West days of the internet, real estate agents only needed to build a website to stake their claim to internet real estate sales, and SEO wasn’t a factor. Now, however, every real estate agent has a website. At the same time, more and more real estate buyers are using the web to find, research and buy properties than ever before. To stand out from the pack, a good real estate website needs SEO. SEO for a real estate website is like advertising for a real estate open house - a real estate agent can’t reach his or her buyers without it.

Buying Internet Ads Isn’t Real Estate SEO

Astute real estate agents know that real estate SEO is different from - and more important than - paid internet advertising. If you were to draw an analogy, paid internet advertising is like placing ads in the lifestyle section of the newspaper. People sometimes look at the ads, but they know you’re trying to sell something, so they often ignore the ads entirely. In a Google search, paid internet ads appear on the right side of the screen, jumbled in with other ads and separated from the information that the reader is searching through.

On the other hand, real estate SEO puts your website in the search results for Google, Yahoo, MSN and other search engines. Real estate SEO is more like an ad in the Yellow Pages than a generic lifestyle ad. Good real estate SEO doesn’t give you a peripheral ad; it puts you right in the heart of the information your readers are seeking - and it matches you up with the people who are looking specifically for your services.

Best of all, good real estate SEO doesn’t just get you listed under “Austin real estate” or “Vail real estate” - it also gets your site to show up every time someone searches for the address or MLS number of an active listing in your region.

Think that might bring in some good real estate sales leads?

Our Real Estate SEO Solution

Our website uses Realzi - which we believe is the best and most reasonably-priced real estate SEO solution on the market. Realzi updates our site constantly with MLS information so our listings are just as current as the master real estate database for Austin. At the same time, Realzi is designed specifically for real estate SEO, and that means that HomeToAustin consistently ranks highly when you do a real estate SEO comparison. Try it! Just pick a real estate property’s address or MLS number and Google it, and see how our real estate SEO stands up.

The Essential Real Estate SEO Question

One of the guys at Realzi explained it to me perfectly yesterday. I complained that I was having trouble getting my broker friend to understand the value in real estate SEO. He said, “Do they want their website to be an expense or a moneymaker?”

That’s the essential real estate SEO question. If you don’t care about your web presence, then real estate SEO isn’t for you.

But if you’re an agent, broker or realtor who knows how to close deals and is interested in getting a steady stream of fresh leads from your own website, you should give real estate SEO a hard look.

The 2008 Milken Institute/Greenstreet Real Estate Partners Best Performing Cities Index has Austin at number four, showing that the Austin economy is strong. Just ahead of Austin on the list are Salt Lake City, Utah; Raleigh-Cary, North Carolina; and Provo-Orem, Utah. What’s worth noting is that last year The Milken Institute/Greenstreet Real Estate Partners Best Performing Cities Index ranked Austin number 20.

The Milken Institute is an independent economic think-tank dedicated to helping create a more efficient and democratic global economy. Established in 2000, The Greenstreet Real Estate Partners is an asset and investment management company.

With the Austin economy strong, the city is no doubt an ideal place to live. And those who live in Austin know that there’s much more to appreciate than the strong economy, like the thriving arts and music scene (including the two large annual festivals, Austin City Limits and South by Southwest), the many public parks and gardens, an average of 231 sunny days per year, and so much more.

Austin wasn’t the only Texas city on the list, though it did come in ahead of any other Texas city. At number seven was the McAllen-Edinburgh-Mission, with Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood ranked 13, San Antonio in the number 15 spot, Houston ranked 16 and Dallas came in at 23.

Jeff Chavez, president and CEO of Northstar Ventures/Northstar Thinktank, is a real Austinite. Although Jeff Chavez was born in Southern California, his dedication to the idea of entrepreneurship fits this city of free thinkers, idealists and innovators.

Jeff Chavez’s Entrepreneurship for Non-Entrepreneurs

Recently, Jeff Chavez coordinated a successful seminar event at Austin’s Long Center for the Performing Arts. Chavez’s event featured two speakers: Jeff, of course, and Tito Beveridge, founder of Tito’s Vodka, one of the most awarded vodkas in the world and a local legend in Austin.

Jeff Chavez’s speech centered around the concept that every professional can benefit from thinking and acting like an entrepreneur - specifically an “idea-crazed entrepreneur.” He’s no rookie on the topic, either; Jeff Chavez has launched many companies over his career, including Fortress, Nexiant, VSupply, Everclear Systems, Northstar Ventures, Foothill Fire Safety, Home Healthcare Direct, TFID Accessory Company, Northstar Thinktank and Olivia Ashton Handbags - some of which have earned millions of dollars in revenue and investor capital.

Jeff Chavez’s Entrepreneurial Successes

Over the years, Jeff Chavez hasn’t spent much unproductive time. The entrepreneurial spirit fills Jeff’s body and mind, initially inspiring him to build Foothill Fire Safety Co. (FFSC) in 1992. This industrial service organization notched 12,000 Southern Californian clients before it was acquired in 1997.

As the year 2000 arrived, Jeff Chavez’s new brainchild was DispenseSource, Inc. (now Nexiant, Inc.). Entrusted with over $10M in venture capital, Jeff Chavez built Nexiant into a leading automated inventory system provider for industrial and manufacturing clients. Nexiant is now the world leader. Jeff Chavez’s modest project has received over $30M in VC funding, with customers like Xerox, Honeywell, BF Goodrich and Chrysler.

Jeff Chavez Shares the Fire

Now Jeff Chavez has found a way to share his love for new ventures with Austin businesspeople. Or rather, two ways: Jeff built Northstar Ventures and the Northstar Thinktank in 2003. These organizations develop training, mentoring and teaching curriculae for entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Jeff Chavez’s insights and leadership are valuable to all small enterprises and individuals who seek to make the most of their ideas and energy, whether they’re in the real estate industry or not. As Austin real estate professionals - and as Austinites - we’re happy to have Jeff Chavez in our community.

Volunteering, the practice of working for a community or the environment because you choose so and usually without payment, is one of the best ways to give back to a city, neighborhood, state or planet that gives you so much everyday.  Volunteering comes in many forms from building a house for a family looking for a new start and serving food at a shelter to donating your time and services for a charity to just spending some quality time with another person.

Volunteering is an Austin Pastime

Aside from all the activities that you will find in Austin, it seems that volunteering is quickly becoming one of the most popular.  According to an article in the Austin Business Journal, a report from the Corporation for National and Community Service shows that Austin is ranked fifth in most active U.S. cities in volunteerism.  The report states that 35 percent of Austinites donate their valuable time helping others.

Volunteering in Numbers

To put all of this into perspective, volunteers that call Austin home donate approximately 56.6 million hours of their time per year; which equates to an estimated $1.1 billion economic impact.

Now that’s a lot of Volunteering.

Volunteering Opportunities

If you are interested in joining the craze and volunteering in and around Austin, you won’t have to look very far to find a worthy cause.  You will find every area of interest that you can imagine for volunteering in Austin.  You can mentor a child, work towards keeping Austin’s parks and springs in tip-top shape, or build a home for an Austin family in need.  You can even volunteer your time and energy to “Keep Austin Weird.”

Volunteering to Help

Now if you are interested in first finding a home in Austin so that you can start giving back; we can help you there as well.  Give us a call at Home to Austin and we will help you find the right house in the right neighborhood.  Once you get settled in, get out there and start joining one of the favorite Austin pastimes … Volunteering!

The best cities to buy a house have been announced by Forbes magazine and Texas tops the list with Houston ranking first and Austin real estate coming in a very close second.  The Texas cities are ranked so high thanks to large corporations calling Texas home, probably because of a business-friendly tax environment, which creates jobs and tax revenue.

Austin is a Best City to Buy a House

The number two best city to buy a house is Austin, Texas and it’s no surprise to us here at HomeToAustin.com.  According to the Forbes’ article, Austin’s vacancy has been falling over the past two years by over 37.5% to 1.5% in spite of a lot of building over the past few years.  However, buying isn’t much more than renting with an average mortgage payment of around $1100 and an average rent of about $770.

Best Cities to Buy a House Factors

The best cities to buy a house were chosen based on many factors.  Forbes started with the country’s 40 largest metropolitan areas and then narrowed it down to cities where home prices had appreciated over the past 24 months.  Then they examined tightening vacancy rates, as these were cities where buyers were investing in homes in order to live versus just looking to make a quick buck.  These cities are typically where the housing market is relatively solid.  Finally, they factored in the difference between average mortgage payments and average rental payments.

Best City to Buy a House For Many Reasons

Austin has many reasons other than the average mortgage costs that it was named best city to buy a home in.  There is the draw of the University of Texas that brings a constant supply of new workers into the job market, as well as research-related jobs.  There are tons of parks and lakes in and around the city, not to mention that Austin isn’t called the Live Music Capital for nothing.   You can go and catch a great live musical act any day of the week and any week of the year.

So when you are ready to purchase a home in one of the top cities for doing just that, come to HometoAustin.com and let us help.

Recent Grad? Looking for the perfect place to make your home now that you are on your own? Well if you just happened to see the “Best Cities for Recent College Grads” list on Forbes.com, then you already know that Austin, Texas grabbed the number three spot on that list. We were right behind our other favorite Texas cities, Houston and Dallas. We’re guessing that the Lone Star State is looking pretty good to a lot of people right now.

Recent Grads: Plenty of Reasons to Love Austin

Austin was ranked number three on the recent grad best cities for several reasons. According to the article, not only is the average starting salary in the upper $30’s, but we also have a labor force that tends to weather recessions well. This is in part to two of our largest employers the state government and the University of Texas. There also is a major tech presence in Austin with companies like Advanced Micro Devices, Dell, Intel and 3M having headquarters or major offices here. The last reason the article gives for why Austin ranked third is that the percentage of people in their 20’s that reside in Texas’ capital city is 26. So you aren’t going to feel like the youngest person in your neighborhood.

Recent Grads Won’t be Bored in Austin

Aside from the reasons listed in the Forbes article, we think that are plenty of other reasons that make Austin a great place to call home for recent grads.

There is all the music and nightlife. Austin has more music venues and watering holes just in their downtown area than most cities have in their entire city limits. There are also a ton of great parks and lakes in the middle of and throughout the city. Finally, you can’t beat the weather. Sure it gets hot for a few months during the summer, but with an average of 231 sunny days per year you definitely aren’t going to complain.

According to Forbes magazine, Austin is ranked #3 in recession proof cities; right behind San Antonio (#2) and Oklahoma City (#1). The reason for the high ranking is because of low unemployment and affordable housing costs. Unemployment in Austin, Texas is 3.6% percent down from 3.8% at this time last year and the median price of a home is still under $200,000 in most areas of Austin.

Recession Proof Austin is the Place to Buy

Austin was ranked by Entrepreneur magazine as one of the top places to buy a home. Reporter Danielle Babb based her decision on the fact that Austin and Round Rock have seen incredible job growth and stable home prices even though most of the country is in a downturn. She also cited that jobs are continuing to grow here, which is a strong factor for keeping prices stable and inventory low.

Other cities that were on the list were Mission Viejo, California, Palm Beach, Florida and Las Vegas, Nevada. Palm Beach and Las Vegas were citied because of their number of foreclosure homes in 2007 making their market on the low cost end moving back up.

Recession Proof isn’t Only Reason Austin’s Great

Austin is a great city to live in with everything that is has to offer: live music venues, top notch festivals, hike and bike trails galore, rock-climbing, lake living, great shopping and great food. Within the city limits itself, you have several parks and lakes such as; Lady Bird Lake (also known as Town Lake), Lake Austin, Barton Springs Pool, Barton Creek Greenbelt, and Zilker Park.

Many celebrities and world-class athletes have made Austin their home because of the laid-back and welcoming atmosphere of the residents and because of the plethora of outdoors and athletic activities that this community supports with fervor.

Although the technology is probably years from reality, it would allow the fine residents of Austin to keep their choice for paper or plastic, and it would keep Austinites (and their sales tax revenue) shopping in Austin rather than shopping in the burbs for the choice, no offense to burbs intended.

Sure, these meters supplied by Cellnet are nice, advanced pieces of technology that will supposedly improve the customer experience and “allow for better analysis of energy consumption”, but in a city with a projected $20.6 million budget deficit, it is not a good business decision to waste money like this!!

Accoding to The Stateman article, the cost will not be offset by a reduction in the contract workforce that currently reads the meters because those same contractors also read the water meters. From Cellnet’s website, the only cost savings associated with these meters are said to be efficiencies gained from eliminating meter readers. As far as this blogger can tell, there is no payback on the $17 million “investment”.

This is just another example of one the mayor’s “I wanna be governor someday” projects. It’s also interesting that the Vice President of Marketing and Sales of Cellnet, Gary High, was a classmate of  Mayor Wynn at Texas A&M in the early ’80s.  A&M is a big university - probably just a coincidence.

I’m not privy to all the details, but on the surface this smells. It’s unfair to the Austin tax payers and utility customers. The project should have been, at the very least deferred, until this city is in better financial condition. Why not replace meters as needed?

Let’s face it - this a project that was probably justified and funded under the “Green” umbrella even though I doubt there will be any green benefits. Austin Energy is a City of Austin department and should not be sheltered from the budget crisis because being green is the cause du jour. Don’t get me wrong being green is the right thing to do, but let’s not get duped by snake oil salesmen claiming benefits that don’t exist.

Wake up Austinites. This should not be happening in a city with the political awareness of Austin.