Two weeks ago, we discussed the need to seek every advantage possible when selling your home—which includes picking the right real estate agent. You need someone who has a proven plan, with the right support, to get your home sold quickly and for the best price.

And yet, even with the best Realtor on your side, there can still be an overwhelming amount of work left to accomplish when selling your home.

Is it worth your time?

Spread the word: The hit HGTV show "My First Place" is looking for first-time home buyers in Austin to be featured in upcoming episodes! The show's producers are looking for first-time buyers who can close before the fall.

This should tell you again that Austin is where it's at! If you or someone you know is interested in participating, give us a call at 512-470-2277, and we'll help get the ball rolling.

At last count, there were nearly 13,000 homes on the market for sale in the Austin area, a number that will likely grow as we continue into the busy summer selling season.

That figure is good news for the real estate industry, because it’s the largest inventory that we’ve seen in two years. It’s also great for home buyers, because they have many properties to choose from.

However, if you happen to be one of those 13,000 home sellers, you probably realize that you need every advantage possible in order to make sure your home actually sells.

Austin once again tops a list of economic hot-spots. Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine just identified the 10 best cities for the next decade and put Austin in the #1 spot, noting that these cities are "prosperous, innovative, and they'll generate plenty of jobs, too." As always, this good economic news is good for the long-term Austin real estate market!

"Austin is arguably the the country's best crucible for small business, offering a dozen community programs that form a neural network of business brainpower to help entrepreneurs. Now overlay that net with a dozen venture-capital funds and 20 or so business associations, plus incubators, educational opportunities and networking events. Mix all these elements in what many call a classless society, where hippie communalism coexists with no-nonsense capitalism, and you've got a breeding ground for start-ups.

Don't discount the fun factor: In the self-proclaimed live-music capital of the world, music and business creativity riff off one another. The city's famous South by Southwest festival, where concerts, independent film screenings and emerging technology overlap, is a prime example."

The Austin housing market appears to be on a solid upswing, thanks in part to good economic news throughout the U.S. and, particularly, in Central Texas.

Overall April home sales in the Austin area were 2,142, almost matching the numbers for the same month in 2008. It was also the highest number of sales since last summer, which is always a busy season.

Some recent activity is, of course, attributable to the recent federal home buyer tax credits, which expired last month. However, we’ve also seen anecdotal evidence that the local luxury home market is beginning to move again.

The Austin real estate market can thank 650+ corporate CEOs who again ranked Texas as the best place to do business. It's no wonder that we continue to see an influx of businesses, jobs, and people moving to town--especially from places like California, which ranked dead last on the list.

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Best and Worst States for Business 2010

More than 600 CEOs rated states on a wide range of criteria from taxation and regulation to workforce quality and living environment, in our sixth annual special report.

Good news for the Austin Real Estate market, as what happens nationally affects us here locally as well. The increase in pending home sales is likely somewhat attributable to the federal tax credits that just expired, but we're expecting a strong summer season as well.

Pending home sales increased again in March 2010, affirming that a surge of home sales is unfolding for the spring home buying season, according to the National Association of Realtors®. The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in March, rose 5.3% to 102.9 from 97.7 in February, and is 21.1% above March 2009 when it was 85.0; this follows an 8.3% increase in February. The data reflects contracts and not closings, which usually occur with a lag time of one or two months.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said favorable affordability conditions have been working with the tax credit. “Clearly the home buyer tax credit has helped stabilize the market. In the months immediately following the expiration of the tax credit, we expect measurably lower sales,” he said. “Later in the second half of the year, and into 2011, home sales will likely become self-sustaining if the economy can add jobs at a respectable pace, and from a return of buyer demand as they see home values stabilizing.”

Time is running out for home buyers who wish to take advantage of two federal tax credits.

The first is an $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers that was originally set to expire late last year, but was extended by Congress. The second is a similar $6,500 tax credit available to existing homeowners who purchase another home under $800,000.

In both cases, the home purchased must be under contract by April 30, although the closing can occur as late as June 30. That means there is still time to find a home before the deadline to take advantage of this unique opportunity.