2010 Census & Congress

I had an“ah ha” moment this afternoon regarding the upcoming 2010 Census.

The number of Representatives in the U.S. House is set by law at 435 members. Based on new census numbers every ten years, the house districts are re-allocated between the states to create districts of even populations. Since some states have big increases in population while others may have declining populations, there is generally a shift in the number of congressional seats among the states, with some states gaining seats and others losing seats.

With record number of people are leaving states like California, New York, Michigan, and Pennsylvania for other parts of the country along with high foreclosure rates and unemployment, how is this going to impact redistricting? With the real possibility of these states losing congressional seats for them to be added elsewhere in the U.S.; it makes me wonder about elections in 2010 and 2012…

Real Economic Recovery

In my daily reading, I came across an article by James Gaine that, in my opinion, put in simple terms what needs to happen for a real recovery of the U.S. economy. As we all know, the U.S. economy functions on borrowed credit. In the not so distant past that came to an abrupt halt. We are currently in the 23rd month of a recession. The average length of a recession since the Great Depression is 15 months. To come out on the other side, several things must happen: business must make a profit, household debt must revert to normal level, employment and home prices need to stabilize and rise and investor confidence must return. When we reach the critical mix of the aforementioned, we will then see a true recovery. To read the article in is entirety there is the link (http://recenter.tamu.edu/pdf/1916.pdf).

NAR Economist's Outlook

Low inflation allows lenders to loan money at lower rates without much fear of loss in purchasing power.

Read more about the NAR Daily Forecast Update.

September MLS Austin Stats

Austin in still holding steady in the current market. The most recent MLS stat's reflect the impact of the first time home buyers. The median home price rising by .5% and days on market dropping to 47.

November Elections VOTE YES on Prop 2, 3, 5 & 11

There are four very important propositions on the November ballot that affect all Texas homeowners and property owners. VOTE YES for the following propositions:

(1) Proposition 2: Ensures that residential property is appraised as residential property, not a hypothetical value based on “highest and best use”
(2) Proposition 3: Allows the state to have oversight of central appraisal districts and enforce uniform appraisals standards across the state.
(3) Proposition 5: Allows two or more adjoining appraisal districts to have combined appraisal review board to ensure qualified and knowledgeable board members.
(4) Proposition 11: Provides private property owner protections by placing in the Texas Constitution clear restrictions on the use of eminent domain; Close a loophole that allows governmental entities to take well-maintain land on the grounds of “blight”; Prohibit the government from acquiring property through eminent domain with no clear plans to put the property to public use; And require a super majority vote of the legislature to grant new eminent domain authority to a new governmental entity.

Early Voting begins October 19 - 30. Regular voting November 3

http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/where.shtml