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        <title>Great Hills Austin Real Estate Blog</title>
        <link>http://www.greathillsaustin.com/blog/</link>
        <description>Informative Austin real estate blog dealing with news and upcoming developments in and around the Great Hills Austin area.</description>
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            <guid>http://www.greathillsaustin.com/blog/long-hot-summer-in-austin.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.greathillsaustin.com/blog/long-hot-summer-in-austin.html</link>
            <author>romeo@realtyaustin.com (Romeo  Manzanilla)</author>
            <title>Long Hot Summer in Austin</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
As we approach the 65th day of 100 degree temperatures in the Austin area, I am reminded how important it is to choose not only a home that fits your lifestyle, but also, how important the orientation of the home really is. The back of my home faces West, but luckily, my backyard is completely shaded by large oak trees, but some of my neighbors are not so lucky. If your backyard faces West, and you don't have much shade, using your backyard in the afternoon can be nearly hopeless. Of course if ... ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Sat, 20 Aug 2011 16:14:04 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.greathillsaustin.com/blog/dont-wait-until-its-too-late-on-a-short-sale.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.greathillsaustin.com/blog/dont-wait-until-its-too-late-on-a-short-sale.html</link>
            <author>romeo@realtyaustin.com (Romeo  Manzanilla)</author>
            <title>Don’t wait until it’s too late on a Short Sale </title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ Recently, I’ve had several prospective clients contact me only days before their property is suppose to go to the foreclosure auction on the court steps. If find myself asking “why do these people wait until it is too late to contact me about listing their home for a short sale?” The answer is not a simple one. I think that there is a lot of psychology that goes into the realization that you are about to lose your home. Most people in financial distress usually put keeping their home as th... ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Thu, 23 Jun 2011 15:47:57 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.greathillsaustin.com/blog/i-dont-need-a-realtor.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.greathillsaustin.com/blog/i-dont-need-a-realtor.html</link>
            <author>romeo@realtyaustin.com (Romeo  Manzanilla)</author>
            <title>I don't need a Realtor</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
This is something that I hear at least once a week when speaking to perspective clients. In the greater Austin area, there is quite a bit of new home construction especially in areas such as Round Rock and Cedar Park. Most of the home builders have a sales office in each one of their communities with on-site sales agents that are ready to assist homebuyers with the purchase of one of their homes. Given that a buyer can just walk into the model home, be wowed by the sales agent and sign a purcha... ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Sun, 15 May 2011 10:29:43 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.greathillsaustin.com/blog/dont-let-the-news-media-get-you-down.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.greathillsaustin.com/blog/dont-let-the-news-media-get-you-down.html</link>
            <author>romeo@realtyaustin.com (Romeo  Manzanilla)</author>
            <title>Don't let the news media get you down!</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 

It seems like every time you read a newspaper, turn on the tv or listen to the radio, there is always some economics expert giving his doom and gloom predictions of another pending mortgage meltdown. Though it is true that we are nowhere near the conclusion of the mortgage fiasco, one thing to keep in mind is that real estate is very much area dependent. What I mean by that is that though parts of the country have become figurative ghost towns due to foreclosures and relocations, Austin is one... ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:13:53 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.greathillsaustin.com/blog/beating-the-summer-housing-rush.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.greathillsaustin.com/blog/beating-the-summer-housing-rush.html</link>
            <author>romeo@realtyaustin.com (Romeo  Manzanilla)</author>
            <title>Beating the Summer Housing Rush</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
As the weather starts to warm up and the lawn goes from being yellow and dormant to green and vibrant, if your summer plans include either buying or selling a home, then now is the time to begin your research. The last couple of months have seen a rise in interest rates as well as a rise in lending restrictions which can make financing a home more difficult. Throw in the current military operations in Libya and the tsunami and nuclear tragedy in Japan and the economic future seems a bit clouded... ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Fri, 25 Mar 2011 09:33:49 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.greathillsaustin.com/blog/if-you-sit-too-long-on-the-fence-it-may-fall-over.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.greathillsaustin.com/blog/if-you-sit-too-long-on-the-fence-it-may-fall-over.html</link>
            <author>romeo@realtyaustin.com (Romeo  Manzanilla)</author>
            <title>If you sit too long on the fence, it may fall over.</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
As everyone knows, the housing market has faced some critical times over the last couple of years. Home values in Austin have not been so devastatingly affected as in other areas of the country but what today’s market has created is a unique opportunity for homebuyers to purchase a home at a near rock-bottom price at interest rates that hadn’t been seen in over 50 years. The bad news, is that ship is sailing away quicker than you might think. As the unemployment rate drops and the economy b... ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Wed, 16 Feb 2011 12:17:12 -0600</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.greathillsaustin.com/blog/tmi-too-much-information1.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.greathillsaustin.com/blog/tmi-too-much-information1.html</link>
            <author>romeo@realtyaustin.com (Romeo  Manzanilla)</author>
            <title>TMI = Too Much Information</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
As an Austin Realtor, I use technology everyday to stay in contact with my clients as well as to provide online home search tools as well as monthly real estate updates. But as our world evolves and technology plays an ever increasing role in our lives, sometimes you have to stop to ask yourself, is technology really helping or hurting me? With the majority of all cell phones now being produced and sold as “smart phones”, we literally have the world at our fingertips. You can literally do j... ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Wed, 19 Jan 2011 13:44:42 -0600</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <guid>http://www.greathillsaustin.com/blog/a-new-year-a-new-set-of-goals.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.greathillsaustin.com/blog/a-new-year-a-new-set-of-goals.html</link>
            <author>romeo@realtyaustin.com (Romeo  Manzanilla)</author>
            <title>A New Year, a New Set of Goals</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
As the first days of 2011 begin, I am reminded of the goals that I accomplished over the course of the year. I am also reminded of the goals that I didn't accomplish. Though possibly difficult to believe, all of my goals are not necessarily real estate related. Don't get me wrong, I always have the long-term goal of being the most recognized name in the Austin Real Estate market, but in the short term, I have to be more realistic and more focused about the goals that I set for myself for this n... ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Mon, 03 Jan 2011 18:07:11 -0600</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.greathillsaustin.com/blog/heading-for-the-finish-line-of-the-short-sale-home-purchase-part-3-of-31.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.greathillsaustin.com/blog/heading-for-the-finish-line-of-the-short-sale-home-purchase-part-3-of-31.html</link>
            <author>romeo@realtyaustin.com (Romeo  Manzanilla)</author>
            <title>Heading for the finish line of the short sale home purchase. Part 3 of 3</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
So you've stuck by your guns and patiently waited while the mortgage bank finished all of their internal evaluations, appraisal and broker price opinions and the closing date is in sight. The one thing to keep in mind with a short sale is that the transaction is not a &quot;sure thing&quot; even though the bank has approved the transaction. There are still some final hurdles that have nothing to do with the buyer. In some cases, as part of a short sale approval, the mortgage bank may require th... ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Thu, 18 Nov 2010 17:10:04 -0600</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <guid>http://www.greathillsaustin.com/blog/what-to-know-as-a-buyer-purchasing-a-short-sale-part-2-of-3.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.greathillsaustin.com/blog/what-to-know-as-a-buyer-purchasing-a-short-sale-part-2-of-3.html</link>
            <author>romeo@realtyaustin.com (Romeo  Manzanilla)</author>
            <title>What to know as a buyer purchasing a short sale Part 2 of 3</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 

So you’ve been hard at work with your Austin Realtor searching for the perfect piece of real estate and then one day, you find the home of your dreams at an unbelievable price! The only problem is that it is a short sale.  So what does that mean to the buyer? As I’ve discussed before, a short sale is basically, when a mortgage lien holder agrees to accept less than the full amount owed on a mortgage. The seller has to qualify to put his home on the market as a short sale, but what is requ... ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Mon, 01 Nov 2010 12:36:44 -0500</pubDate>
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