Amazon has bypassed Austin in favor of Northern Virginia and New York City for the e-commerce giant’s new corporate headquarters. Also, in a surprise move, Amazon has picked Nashville for an operations center.

When you're house hunting the option to buy/build a new construction home is a great option and personally one of my favorite options. If you have 6-12 months, depending on the builder and size of the home it can great option for you. You get to be the first to live in the pristine home, you pick the floor plan, the lot and there's tons of warranties as well as it's great for resale. It's full of brand-new appliances, the finishes and treatments that you picked to fit your taste and you won't have to worry about making any cosmetic or structural upgrades for years.

Homestead exemptions are granted by the county appraisal district where the property is located. The exemption reduces a homeowner’s property tax bill by removing part of the home’s value from taxation. All Texas homeowners may receive a General Residence Homestead Exemption on the value of their property for school taxes upon application. Other taxing entities may also offer exemptions of some percentage of the home’s value. Other exemptions are available to homeowners who are over 65 or disabled, and require the same application process.

I often get asked, "is it a good time to buy a house in the Winter?" So I wanted to shed some light on some reasons why I think it is a GREAT time to buy in the winter season, or what we call "winter" here in Austin. Real estate wisdom tells us that spring and summer are the prime seasons for house hunting and moving and that people are more likely to get out and shop when the weather is nice. Yet there are some very logical and compelling reasons for going shopping for a house and moving in the winter as well.