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What's My Home Worth

Austin real estate news you can use

Austin Broker designated Certified Residential Specialist

Friday, February 10, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE IN TEXAS

RODNEY BUSTAMANTE HAS BEEN AWARDED THE CERTIFIED RESIDENTIAL SPECIALIST DESIGNATION BY THE COUNCIL OF RESIDENTIAL SPECIALISTS.


Austin, 2/9/2012 - Rodney Bustamante, an Austin Realtor® has been awarded the prestigious Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) Designation by the Council of Residential Specialists, the largest not-for-profit affiliate of the National Association of Realtors®.

Realtors who receive the CRS Designation have completed advanced courses and have demonstrated professional expertise in the field of residential real estate. Fewer than 31,000 Realtors® nationwide have earned the credential. Home buyers and sellers can be assured that CRS Designees subscribe to the strict Realtors® code of ethics, have access to the latest technology and are specialists in helping clients maximize profits and minimize costs when buying or selling a home.

Rodney Bustamante is the broker/owner of Austin Absolute Realty in Austin. He is a member of the Austin Board of Realtors. Rodney Bustamante is also serving as the Director of Public Affairs with NAHREP Austin and active member of the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce




What's a CRS?

The Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) is the highest Designation awarded to sales associates in the residential sales field. The CRS Designation recognizes professional accomplishments in both experience and education.

Since 1977 the Council of Residential Specialists has been conferring the CRS Designation on agents who meet its stringent requirements. Currently, there are more than 34,000 active CRS Designees.

Why Use a CRS?

Today, home buying and selling is faster, more complex, and more competitive in every way. Our goal is to make the process a little easier for you. The first step is choosing the right REALTOR®.

Experience — To earn the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) Designation, every REALTOR® must have significant experience and volume of real estate transactions.

Ethics — Every CRS Designee is required to maintain membership in the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and to abide by its strict Code of Ethics.


Congratulations to Broker, Rodney Bustamante

Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Congratulations to the new 2012 Board of Directors of NAHREP Austin.

NAHREP Austin is pleased to announce the 2012 Board of Directors as follows:

President - Nicole Torres Cooke, Schmooze Networking
President Elect - Jason Garza, B&G Surveying
Secretary-Genaro Rodriguez, ViewPoint Mortgage
Treasurer - Donna Thomas, DT Outsourcing
Director of Public Affairs- Rodney Bustamante, Austin Absolute Realty
Director of Education- Mary Mealy, Nextage Lincoln Ray Realty
Director of Membership - Sandy Urias, Farmers Insurance/Urias Agency
Immediate Past President - Oliva Lerma, Alterra Home Loans

NAHREP was created to establish a venue where members can congregate, exchange ideas, and formulate an agenda beneficial to the collective well-being of our segment of the industryOur Mission Statement:To increase the sustainable Hispanic homeownership rate by empowering the Real Estate Professionals that serve Hispanic consumers.For more information regarding the 2012 Board of Directors or on NAHREP Austin, please visit our website at www.nahrepaustin.org or contact us at nahrep@nahrepaustin.org

Homestead exemptions for 2011

Friday, December 30, 2011

One of my biggest biggest peeves is when a client is duped into paying some random company to do something that is otherwise free! As a home owner myself, I received the "official" letter in the mail to file my Homestead Exemption for a one-time fee. So what do you do when you get that letter? Don't fret. As pretty as the letter is - just throw it away! You can file your own Homestead Exemption at no cost.



New requirements are in effect this year for new resident applicants. In order to verify your home as the principal home, you must provide a copy of your driver's license (or State ID card), and a copy of your vehicle registration receipt.

Fires in Austin - Donation Information

Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Our hearts go out to the residents of Bastrop, Steiner Ranch, Cedar Park, and many other areas affected by the latest wild fires in central Texas.  In some areas, firefighters are letting folks back in, but as you are reminded by many, only return if you have permission.  Your life, your family, and your pets are most important at this time.

For those who are able to donate items to the most affected areas of Bastrop, you are asked to send those to the Rundell Business Park at 704 Highway 71 in Bastrop. You can call 512-332-8661 for more information.

Stiener Ranch evacuees can reach out to St. Thomas More Catholic Church on RR620 for assistance.  You can call 512-258-1161 for more information.

We will be running a small collection here at Austin Absolute Realty for the Stiener victims through St. Thomas More; please feel free to bring items by for our deliveries.

Disney World in 3.5 Days

Sunday, July 31, 2011

I have never been on a vacation, so this summer my wife and I said, "it's time we do this!" We took our daughter to Disney world last week, and I have to admit - I was not a fan when my wife brought up the idea. However, one step onto Downtown Disney World my mind was changed and I was ready to explore...and that was just Downtown Disney!So forgive me for missing a few days of work.

Even though we were always so busy, on our feet, we did pretty well. It's not expensive as other people tell us, and in fact, its cheaper on the grounds at Disney than we have found when we visit locally at Sea World or Six Flags.

Yes, I answered a few e-mails and made a few calls here and there for my clients, I have to say - this trip was awesome. I opted not to pay $10 extra a night for internet access - this was our first family vacation, and well needed. Real estate at Disney World blew my mind. I think I heard someone say it all rested on 26,000 acres - it's probably more. Man, Walt Disney knew exactly what he was doing when he developed this place. Fantastic location, not a detail forgotten. Absolute fun.

If you are planning a short trip to Disney World, perhaps these agenda will help you...also, it was just the three of us. First off, we had had bought hopper tickets for three days, and the travel agency sent us tickets for 5 days. It wasn't a mistake, but perhaps a blessing. We added an extra day to the hotel and the flight with Southwest Airlines for $80. Not bad.

On the first day, we left Austin-Bergstrom International Airport at 7:00AM and had two stops (one in Houston, TX, and the other in New Orleans, LA). By the time we got to Orlando, FL, we grabbed a shuttle to the Royal Plaza hotel, unpacked, and walked to Downtown Disney. By 2pm, we were eating lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. Already, everything we thought Disney would be, was magnified times 10...to the detail - amazing.

After a late lunch, we found the bus depot and grabbed a bus to a few hotels, a couple of water parks, back to Downtown Disney, and finally landed at Animal Kingdom...yes, we figured out the bus routes! As you enter the park, make sure you go to the greeting center and make sure to grab park maps and schedules, and a pin if you are a first time visitor. By 6pm, yes - 6pm, we missed most of the entertainment, but caught a few character greetings at Camp Minnie-Mickey, and then we went for a ride at the Kilimanjaro Safari. This ride was really fun and a bit interactive with our driver and his audience. A few areas of the tour were a bit frightening for my daughter, because the tour guide does take us to a spot where there are poachers hunting the baby elephants - the bridge shakes the bus and the radio recording sounds distressed. Aside from that, the view of all of the animals and landscape are truly amazing.

We would have liked to have stayed longer at the park, but since we figured out how to ride the park buses on the first two hours, we decided to call it an early night and we were home by 10. We ordered pizza to the hotel room. Using the park maps that I grabbed the night before, I outlined a few places to visit recommended by friends who had been before.

On day two, we went to Hollywood Studios. We had a chaotic breakfast buffet at the hotel, and then took the bus to the park for an arrival at about 10:30AM. Our first steps into the park - breathtaking. Absolutely amazing. Here was our agenda - Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, Muppet Vision 3D, Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure, The Magic of Disney Animation,1:30pm lunch at the 50's Prime Time Cafe, Star Tours, 3pm Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun, Disney Junior Live on Stage, and Fantasmic.Seas with Nemo and Friends, Living with the Land, Canada - see O'Canada on the 360 screen! Go to the Kidcot Fun Stop when you can - these are fun rest stops for your child to enjoy coloring a Duffy fan and collecting stamps for each country. We gave our daughter enough time to color a few limbs of Duffy before moving to the next country. We didn't visit all countries. Then, we went to Japan, saw the Matsuriza drummers at 3:35, and checked out the shopping inside. I went and grabbed fast passes for the Viking tour between 5:25-6:25. We stopped at the American Adventure for a few minutes to eat a turkey leg, we were starving and dinner was 45 minutes away by this time. At 4:20 we saw the world acclaimed Mariachi Cobre, took a ride in the Gran Fiesta Tour with the Three Caballeros, then went to Norway to surprise our 7-yr old princess with a princess dinner. AMAZING! Right after dinner, we took a ride on the Viking Boat Voyage one minute before the fast pass expired! Oh yeah! By then, we called it a night...we could have stayed to watch the fireworks, but we had to get up at 4am to catch a shuttle back to the airport for a direct flight back to Austin at 7:30AM.




Austin Absolute Realty has moved!

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Our offices have moved! We're now centrally located in One Highland Center near Highland Mall. We really would love for you to come out and visit.

We do plan on having a "house warming" party and with the new space. We also have a conference area to begin hosting great information sessions for Austin home buyers and sellers.

Oh look! Who's that silly spokesperson?!

Looks who's endorsing Austin Absolute Realty!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

My wife found a $2 video camera at a garage sale and bought it for my daughter. I came across the camera, while preparing my move to our new office. Looks who's endorsing Austin Absolute Realty! This video is from 2009, and priceless! I love how my baby girl has known my telephone number since she was two-years old. During her first 15 months of life, I would take her with me to show new homes with clients. All those phone calls and rides in the car must have been a great learning experience for her.