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 Land–Baytown third, Dallas-Plano-Irving fifth and Fort Worth–Arlington seventh.
Among the medium-sized cities that Newgeography.com ranked, El Paso was fifth, McAllen-Mission-Edinburg was sixth and Corpus Christi was seventh.
College Station–Bryan was the third best smallest city in which to find a job. Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood was fourth.
The rankings are based on three-month rolling averages of monthly employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics from November 1999 to January 2010.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Time to heat up the grill!
With the official start of summer right around the corner, the aroma of grilled foods will again become a regular part of the evening. Whether you are a beginner or a master of the grilling arts, here are a few tips to help your grilling this season.
First, make sure the grill grate is clean. A stiff wire grill brush is ideal for this task, but a crumpled ball of aluminum foil will work too. Once the debris has been removed from the grate, it should be lubricated to minimize food sticking. If you can remove the grate from the grill, cooking spray can be used. But do not use cooking spray over a lit grill! Another method is to fold a paper towel into a small square, dip it in vegetable oil, and use tongs to rub it over the grill grate.
With the grill preparation out of the way, it's time to start cooking. When grilling, it is best to minimize the times the food is turned over. The more often food is turned, the longer it will take to cook, which often leads to food that is tough and dry. Don't use a fork for turning, as a fork will puncture the meat causing juices to be lost. If a sugary sauce, like barbeque sauce, is going to be applied to the food, it should be applied at the end of the cooking time because these sauces will burn if applied too early.
First, make sure the grill grate is clean. A stiff wire grill brush is ideal for this task, but a crumpled ball of aluminum foil will work too. Once the debris has been removed from the grate, it should be lubricated to minimize food sticking. If you can remove the grate from the grill, cooking spray can be used. But do not use cooking spray over a lit grill! Another method is to fold a paper towel into a small square, dip it in vegetable oil, and use tongs to rub it over the grill grate.
With the grill preparation out of the way, it's time to start cooking. When grilling, it is best to minimize the times the food is turned over. The more often food is turned, the longer it will take to cook, which often leads to food that is tough and dry. Don't use a fork for turning, as a fork will puncture the meat causing juices to be lost. If a sugary sauce, like barbeque sauce, is going to be applied to the food, it should be applied at the end of the cooking time because these sauces will burn if applied too early.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
TEXAS EXISTING HOME SALES, PRICES UP IN MARCH
TEXAS (Real Estate Center) – A total of 19,330 existing single-family homes were sold in Texas last month, up 16 percent from March 2009, according to MLS data compiled by the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University.
The median price was up 4 percent to $144,600 during the same period, and the state finished the month with a 7.1-month inventory of existing homes.
The median price was up 4 percent to $144,600 during the same period, and the state finished the month with a 7.1-month inventory of existing homes.
U.S. NEW HOME SALES SURGE
HOUSTON (Houston Business Journal) – New home sales surged 26.9 percent from February to March, according to the Department of Commerce.
The nationwide increase, which was the largest one-month gain in five decades, was accompanied by a 23.8 percent increase in new home sales year over year.
There were 228,000 new homes on the market at the end of March, a 6.7-month inventory at the current sales rate.
Last month's sales increase was credited partially to fairer weather and buyers hurrying to beat the expiration of the government's homebuyer tax credit.
The nationwide increase, which was the largest one-month gain in five decades, was accompanied by a 23.8 percent increase in new home sales year over year.
There were 228,000 new homes on the market at the end of March, a 6.7-month inventory at the current sales rate.
Last month's sales increase was credited partially to fairer weather and buyers hurrying to beat the expiration of the government's homebuyer tax credit.
U.S. NEW HOME SALES SURGE
HOUSTON (Houston Business Journal) – New home sales surged 26.9 percent from February to March, according to the Department of Commerce.
The nationwide increase, which was the largest one-month gain in five decades, was accompanied by a 23.8 percent increase in new home sales year over year.
There were 228,000 new homes on the market at the end of March, a 6.7-month inventory at the current sales rate.
Last month's sales increase was credited partially to fairer weather and buyers hurrying to beat the expiration of the government's homebuyer tax credit.
The nationwide increase, which was the largest one-month gain in five decades, was accompanied by a 23.8 percent increase in new home sales year over year.
There were 228,000 new homes on the market at the end of March, a 6.7-month inventory at the current sales rate.
Last month's sales increase was credited partially to fairer weather and buyers hurrying to beat the expiration of the government's homebuyer tax credit.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
RISK OF MAJOR HOME PRICE DECLINE LOW IN TEXAS
COLLEGE STATION (Real Estate Center) – A new study from the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University explains why Texas’ housing market fared far better than other states during the current downturn. It also suggests why the state’s economy is expected to continue to do better than the rest of the nation in the coming months.
“Texas’ lower-than-national-average housing cost is one reason for the state’s higher-than-national-average growth rate,” said Dr. Ali Anari, a Center research economist and one of the study’s authors. “When Texans are able to spend more on nonhousing goods and services, the state’s economy is strengthened and more people attracted.
“These results illustrate one of the key reasons the Texas economy outperforms the United States in terms of job growth almost every year,” said Center Chief Economist Dr. Mark Dotzour. “The fact that Texans pay less of their income for housing means they have more to spend on other things that add to the overall quality of life. Texas offers a lower cost of living than many places in the United States.
“This allows Texas employers to be able to attract workers at a reasonable wage rate that allows them to compete successfully in the global economy,” said Dotzour.
Since 1987, the average annual expenditure for shelter per consumer increased in every major American metropolitan market.
Texas data for the study came from the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston-Galveston-Brazoria metro areas because they are among the major metropolitan areas for which consumer expenditure data are available. These two metros accounted for 60.3 percent of Texas labor force last year and 64 percent of Texas GDP the previous year.
“Houston and Dallas consumers spent the smallest shares of their incomes on shelter in 2008 (18.6 percent),” said Anari.
The two Texas metros in the study had virtually no increase in their shelter expenditure shares from 1987 to 2008. Houston’s share rose 1 percent while Dallas’ share increased 2.2 percent.
For more information on the study's findings, read the Center's news release.
“Texas’ lower-than-national-average housing cost is one reason for the state’s higher-than-national-average growth rate,” said Dr. Ali Anari, a Center research economist and one of the study’s authors. “When Texans are able to spend more on nonhousing goods and services, the state’s economy is strengthened and more people attracted.
“These results illustrate one of the key reasons the Texas economy outperforms the United States in terms of job growth almost every year,” said Center Chief Economist Dr. Mark Dotzour. “The fact that Texans pay less of their income for housing means they have more to spend on other things that add to the overall quality of life. Texas offers a lower cost of living than many places in the United States.
“This allows Texas employers to be able to attract workers at a reasonable wage rate that allows them to compete successfully in the global economy,” said Dotzour.
Since 1987, the average annual expenditure for shelter per consumer increased in every major American metropolitan market.
Texas data for the study came from the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston-Galveston-Brazoria metro areas because they are among the major metropolitan areas for which consumer expenditure data are available. These two metros accounted for 60.3 percent of Texas labor force last year and 64 percent of Texas GDP the previous year.
“Houston and Dallas consumers spent the smallest shares of their incomes on shelter in 2008 (18.6 percent),” said Anari.
The two Texas metros in the study had virtually no increase in their shelter expenditure shares from 1987 to 2008. Houston’s share rose 1 percent while Dallas’ share increased 2.2 percent.
For more information on the study's findings, read the Center's news release.
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