When most people think about buying a house, they picture a single family home, maybe with a garage, a fence, a dog . . .  Most people don’t think: maybe I should buy a duplex and share my property with someone else.  But there can be some real benefits to buying a duplex as your… Read More

It’s that time of year again, time to file your Homestead Exemption Form with the taxing district for your county (for most of you, this is Travis County) for the 2012 tax year. Homestead exemptions remove part of your home’s value from taxation, so they lower your taxes. For example, if your home is appraised… Read More

Moxie has been privileged to work with Robert Ashker Kraft, a long time Austin resident, musician, and master of the voice-over (http://www.voicekraft.com/).  Robert originally approached Moxie to work with him because of Justine’s experience with moving older homes to new locations, which was featured on TLC’s Flip That (and both Moxie Ladies live in relocated… Read More

Last week, the Austin Board of Realtors and the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin released their Fourth Annual Housing Forecast, prepared by Metrostudy, a national housing data and consulting firm that maintains the most extensive primary database on residential construction in the US housing market.  According to the forecast, Austin’s housing market grew in… Read More

A new year, and your lease is going to end (or you’re already month-to-month and wondering what to do).  Should you buy or rent your next home? Whether to buy a home is a very personal decision; it’s never strictly a financial decision but an emotional one, too.  Deciding whether to rent of buy isn’t… Read More

It may seem counter-intuitive, but concerns about the pace of global economic growth that drive financial markets are causing investors to shift to less risky assets. This is a trend that favors mortgage rates, making this a good time to buy or refinance. John Schutze, a mortgage banker with Chase, tells us that despite the… Read More

As many of you know, the Moxie Ladies are big supporters of the arts. You probably think of us as largely music supporters, but back in the old days in New York, Mishell regularly volunteered with New York Lawyers for the Arts, and both Justine and Mishell have given support to local and folk artists…. Read More

If you closed on the purchase of a home  in 2010 (or 2009, just in case you missed) that is your primary residence, it’s time to file your Homestead Exemption Form with the taxing district for your county (for most of you, this is Travis County) for the 2011 tax year. Homestead exemptions remove part of… Read More

Welcome, 2011!  And what a welcome new year you are.  Like everyone else, the Moxie Ladies tend to think of the beginning of the new year as a time to reset, recharge, and, well, to be trite, resolve!  Even though we know that New Year’s Day is just an arbitrary date, that resolutions often don’t “stick,” and… Read More

While he was out shopping (last minute Christmas presents?), Justine’s husband, Kevin, came across this: Now, I guess we must be late to the party on these, because we had no idea that there is a full line of  “Moxie Girlz” dolls.  Interestingly, we think their definition isn’t too far off from how we see ourselves… Read More