Chris Thorpe Real Estate

DALLAS (Dallas Business Journal) – Texas has the 12th-lowest home-care costs and other long-term care services in the country, according to Genworth’s 2010 Cost of Care Survey. The median annual rate for home care costs statewide is $41,070, 6 percent lower than the national average of $43,472. Annual nursing home private rooms ...

FORT WORTH (Fort Worth Star-Telegram) – For the second year in a row, Texas cities took half of the top ten spots in Newgeography.com's annual ranking of the best cities in the nation in which to find a job. Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos ranked first, San Antonio–New Braunfels second, Houston–Sugar ...

DALLAS (Dallas Morning News) – Sixty percent of Dallas County homeowners will see a decrease in their home values this year, according to the Dallas Central Appraisal District. Last year, that number was 55 percent. Values will increase for 20 percent of homeowners, and the remaining 20 percent will see no change. While this will mean ...

WASHINGTON (U.S. Census Bureau) – Parts of Texas have some of the lowest rates of mail participation so far in the 2010 Census, according to a report released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. Nationally, 46 percent of households have mailed back their forms. But in parts of Texas, the participation rate is significantly lower. ...

TEXAS (Real Estate Center, Reuters, CNNMoney.com) – A total of 13,064 existing single-family homes were sold in Texas last month, a 2 percent drop from February 2009, according to MLS data compiled by the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University. The median price was up 2 percent to $141,100 during the ...

CARROLLTON (ALNsystems.com) – The number of apartments rented statewide dropped 2.4 percent between December 2008 and December 2009, according to the latest figures from ALN. Meanwhile, rents fell by an average of 2.5 percent. Here's how select cities fared for the year ending December 2009: Austin Occupancy stayed roughly the same, ...

CEDAR PARK (Austin Business Journal) – Schlitterbahn Waterparks plans to build a $360 million resort development and convention center in this city north of Austin. The city will provide $6 million for the 95-acre project’s infrastructure costs. The Lower Colorado River Authority has not yet determined how the water park ...

WASHINGTON (Bloomberg News, Associated Press) – The Senate and the House have approved extending the first-time homebuyer tax credit, settling on an April 30 close date and expanding it to benefit more homebuyers. The plan, which had not been signed by President Obama as of this morning, would allow couples earning up to ...

WASHINGTON (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) – The Obama Administration yesterday announced a new initiative for state and local housing finance agencies (HFAs). It will help support low mortgage rates and expand resources for low- and middle-income borrowers to purchase or rent homes that are affordable over the long ...

HOUSTON (Houston Business Journal) – Texas foreclosures rose 17 percent between August and September, with 13,216 default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions filed last month. Year over year, foreclosures were up 43.7 percent in September, according to RealtyTrac Inc. Statewide foreclosures were 11.3 percent higher in the ...